


Perfectly Perfect

by AkiraKogane



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Criminal Activity, Bad Smut, Birth, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Body Dysphoria, Children, Complete, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Don't worry, Drama, Engagement, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Issues, Family Planning, Fights, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Getting Back Together, Getting Together, Heavy Drinking, Homophobia, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Life Partners, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Minor Original Character(s), Poor Life Choices, Postpartum Depression, Single Parents, Slice of Life, Smut, Technically Mpreg, Trans Keith (Voltron), Trans Male Character, Trans Male Keith (Voltron), Transphobia, Unplanned Pregnancy, any other voltron character wouldn't fit tbh, broganes, it's just two, keith is a delivery man, keith is his adoptive brother, lance is a marine biologist, shiro can't cook, shiro is a great brother, the second chapter is nothing, they aren't too important but they keep the story moving, they fuck, they fuck a lot later on, they have children, two little girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 08:05:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 100,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14930402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkiraKogane/pseuds/AkiraKogane
Summary: The night after Keith found out his ex-boyfriend cheated on him, he went out to drink.Lance was trying to relieve some stress during finals week.They didn't mean to find each other like this, nor did they plan to find each other again in five years.Despite fighting through trials and tribulations, they always found each other. I guess you can say they were perfectly perfect for each other.





	1. Without Fault

_Knock! Knock!_

Keith stood right next to the front door, awaiting someone.

“Delivery?” Keith only hoped they answered at this point. He had already knocked about ten times and this was his last delivery for the day.

A screech from the other side of the door usually indicated that they _finally_ heard the knocking; they didn’t exactly have a doorbell. Keith pulled out his clipboard and pen, holding a bulky package with his other free arm.

The door opened to reveal a woman with short, curly hair and huge, brown eyes. She was panting, most likely she ran to the door. Her pained expression changed into one of delight seeing Keith and her package, “Where do I sign?”

“Right here on the dotted line, ma’am,” He handed her his clipboard, watching as she grabbed it and signed with just initials. Taking the package, she went back inside; Keith never knew that she’d be important later.

Keith sighed, walking back to his car; delivering for such a small company sucked, but they gave him gas money, at least. He just wanted to go relax and hang out with his boyfriend; Keith planned on ordering pizza and watching a movie with him. Oh, Michael. He was a sweet boyfriend, but he seemed so secretive. Keith didn’t really understand why he was like that all of a sudden; he wasn’t like that before.

Before starting his car, Keith texted his boss that he finished and was going home. His boss was such a nice guy, just a text was fine. Driving to his boyfriend’s apartment, Keith took a deep breath. He always ended up so flustered with the guy and he wasn’t even that kind of person. Michael was perfect, so perfect that he ended up in Keith’s pants several times. It took a lot for Keith to even consider such a thing; he wasn’t so keen on anyone seeing anything down there, but Michael was so good to him. He never felt downgraded as a trans guy with Michael.

Heading towards the apartment parking, Keith looked around the lot. That red SUV wasn’t there before. Odd. Parking next to the van, Keith took a look inside. That was a lot of used condoms. Proceeding towards the actual apartment, he just tried to forget what he just saw. Unlocking the old door, he didn’t hear a sound. Michael was always in the living area to greet Keith when he came over. He wasn’t there. Keith looked around before walking inside Michael’s bedroom. Oh. Son of a bitch.

Michael was in bed with a cis man. Keith slept with Michael on that same bed the day before. He felt betrayed. Did Michael only want a cis man? Keith didn’t tell Michael he was trans until a few weeks into the relationship. Hah, a bar date never ends well; it always just ends up with sex and cheating. He trusted Michael, he really did. Michael didn’t leave him when he said he was trans, but he _did_ start to act weird after having sex a few times. Keith was stupid not to realize it before.

Keith left Michael’s apartment key on the kitchen table and grabbed his stuff from around the apartment. His leftover cake in the fridge from their date last Friday, his toothbrush and bath towels, his clothes, and everything else he could think of and paid for. Keith hated his perfect Michael. To think they dated for three months. He had only one place to go to now.

Keith pulled out his cellphone as he walked with all his belongings to his car. He dumped al his stuff into the passenger’s seat and dialed a familiar number. It soon started to ring.

“Hey, Shiro. I know it’s really late, but can I stay with you? I kinda lost my place with Michael right now. I just need a place to crash,” He glanced down at his feet, he was still wearing his yellow delivery uniform. He heard Shiro’s sigh on the other end, but Keith was definitely appreciative.

Shiro knew something was up when it seemed like Keith’s relationship was _perfect_. Keith didn’t have much luck with dating and he knew Keith had it a little bit harder than others. Nonetheless, Keith was his adoptive brother and he still cared for him, “Your old bed is still here in your old room. You’re always welcomed to stay whenever you want. You don’t have to ask me, y’know. You still have the key, right?”

“Yeah, I do. I’ll be there soon. Thank you, Shiro. I really mean it,” Keith smiled, knowing Shiro could feel his smile on the other end. At least Keith was never, truly alone.

Making his way to Shiro’s family home felt weird. He lived there with Shiro before he dated Michael, but still. He felt like he was running away, though, he technically was. He felt like he lost. Thinking about while driving did _not_ make him feel any better, he knew it, too.

Parking behind the small house, he saw Shiro open the back door with a calm smile. Keith could immediately notice that Shiro was trying really hard not to crush Michael from afar. Shiro liked Michael when he first saw him, but he definitely didn’t trust him; he couldn’t tell Keith that, he looked so damn happy. Now here Keith was, a pained expression glued to his face. Shiro felt a hint of guilt, but it’s too late for anything else now.

As soon as Keith turned off his car, Shiro walked over to the passenger’s door and opened it to help Keith bring all of his stuff inside. The house was warm from the lack of air conditioning in this terrible summer, but the open windows Shiro left out, it was livable. Keith left the cake on the kitchen table which luckily, the kitchen was connected to the back door. He started to drag all of his belongings back into his old room. As soon as he walked in, he noticed that absolutely nothing was changed. His old bedsheets with gold stars, his posters of constellations on the walls, the TV was still there, his Switch connected to it. He dumped all of his stuff on the floor, leaving it there for tomorrow. He wanted to chat with Shiro for a while before retiring for the day.

Keith sat at the kitchen table, where Shiro was. Shiro was occupied, putting something into the microwave, “You haven’t eaten, have you? You still have your uniform on.”

“I haven’t, but you didn’t have to make me anything,” Keith chuckled, glancing at the kitchen clock right above the fridge. It was around eight at night.

Shiro shook his head, making sure the food in the microwave didn’t burn, “Keith, you know I didn’t make anything for you. It’s just a TV dinner.”

Right. Shiro couldn’t cook to save his life. Geez. Keith laughed, “You’ve been living without me for three months and you still haven’t learned how to cook. How many TV dinners have you bought?”

Keith walked over to freezer and opened it, revealing Keith’s fear. Thirty different packages of frozen lunches and dinners. Well, at least Shiro kept the kitchen clean by not really using it. Shiro glared at him, but just disregarded it; Keith was in a better mood now.

Sitting back down, Keith was handed his dinner. Mashed potatoes and a mushy piece of meat that resembled a steak. He shrugged, thanking Shiro before eating it. It was frozen in the middle. Yuck. Oh well. Shiro sat across from Keith, drinking a glass of water, “So, I assume you broke up with Michael.”

“Caught him cheating with a cis dude. I started to treat me differently as soon as he found out I was trans. I don’t blame him, though. No one really wants to be with a freak like me,” Keith frowned, swallowing a piece of that “potato.”

Shiro mirrored his frown, “Keith, please, you’re not a freak. You just need to find someone who loves you for who you are. You just need to look a bit more.”

“I give up. I’ll just stay alone like this. No more broken hearts,” Keith exhaled, trying to accept his fate. Maybe squinting would help. Everyone else left him, even Shiro, but Shiro is the only one to ever come back. Shiro sighed, not really liking to see Keith in this state.

Keith groaned, getting up to dump his plastic tray in the trash, “I should go get a drink.”

“You aren’t going back to that drinking problem of yours,” Shiro slammed his fist against the wooden table, “I don’t want to get another call that you drank too much and that you’re locked up at the police station again.”

“You aren’t my mother, Shiro,” Keith pointed his metal fork at Shiro before dropping that into the sink, “I just need… some time. A drink helps, y’know?”

Shiro shook his head in disagreement and disapproval, “I’m not getting you out of the police station this time.”

His younger sibling simply laughed, “I’m mature enough to not drink my head off. I just need to forget, okay?”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Whatever you say, Shiro.”

Keith went back into his room, changed, and left. Shiro couldn’t tell him what to do. Only he was able to make his decisions. So what he has several things on his record? That hasn’t stopped him from getting a job or anything.

He went into the garage and pulled out his lovely motorcycle. She was a beauty and he missed her a lot. Getting ready, he turned her on, and just sped away. He felt Shiro’s eyes on him as he drove away.

He hadn’t felt so free in months. He was one with the road and no one could stop him besides the law, but fuck the law! He got cheated on! He didn’t even know which bar he was heading to. He didn’t care. He just wanted closure.

-

“Lance, please, I don’t think this is necessary,” Hunk was stressed, but finding Lance hungover the next day during finals week was even more stressful.

Lance looked around the bar, “It’s fine, Hunk, look. We get a little tipsy and boom. Our tension from our previous finals come right off. We have a simple physics final tomorrow. We studied, we’ll be fine. No worries, okay?”

“The more you say that, the more worried I get,” Hunk didn’t have any plans on drinking tonight, though. He just ordered a bottle of water. The bartender didn’t argue.

Lance left Hunk and was having a little bit of fun going around the bar, flirting with a few girls before sitting back down. Hunk was having a nice chat with the bartender about the nuts they offered. That was lame. Lance was bored. He wanted fun with drinking. He should’ve listened to Pidge about that club, but the bar was better for finding more mature women (not age wise, of course- he was too much of a coward for that).

Ordering a drink, Lance noticed this man with a scowl and a leather jacket on sit right next to him. The bartender didn’t recognize him, so Lance assumed he was new to the area. As soon as Lance finished ordering, the man next to him ordered two shots of whiskey. This dude was tough, huh.

The man turned to Lance from the bartender; Lance was staring and the man noticed. Lance internally panicked, he didn’t mean to stare at him. He just didn’t fit the crowd at this bar and his hair looked strange.

The man blinked a few times before smiling, “Hey, what’s someone like you doing around here? You don’t really seem like the drinking type.”

Oh, this man had really pretty dark eyes. Lance found himself speechless. He had to come up with something now, “Uh, um, yeah, I don’t drink often. How can you tell?”

“You don’t look so comfortable sitting there, you’re a college student looking to relieve some stress, huh?” This man read right through him. This pretty man with ugly hair had a way with words.

Lance felt a little more comfortable, though, this man didn’t seem much older than him. Wasn’t he in college, too? “Are you doing the same? Drinking during finals?”

“I went to community college. College just isn’t for me, but some kind of education is needed to a good paying job, am I right?” This guy seemed honest, yet pained. Lance could instantly tell this man was here for a different reason.

Lance didn’t want to ask, but it felt necessary, “Then… why are you here?”

“My ex-boyfriend cheated on me, but I’m trying to forget, y’know? Binge eating ice cream just doesn’t do it for me,” The man joked, receiving his two shots of whiskey. Lance noticed that his ordered mojito was in front of him and took a sip.

Lance felt bad for this dude, but this nice man was cheated on? He was hot and his eyes were fucking jewels. Who could ever cheat on him? “Dude, you’re too good to be cheated on. He’s just not good enough for you.”

The man blinked. His older brother told him the same thing. Huh. Just shitty luck then? He drank his two shots, knowing clearly that he was a lightweight. He didn’t care. This was his counseling session. “You really think so?”

Lance was in the middle of his drink before responding, “Yeah, man, I mean… I barely know you and I think you’re a great guy.”

“Thanks…” The man laughed, “You’re not too bad yourself with your ocean eyes.” Here he was, flirting with a guy he just met at a bar. Idiot was already drunk. Whiskey wasn’t even _that_ strong.

Lance felt his face burn, finishing his drink to help him out for the rest of the night.

The man continue to talk, drunkenness taking over his speech a little bit. He definitely thought this other young man was cute, but without this drink, he never would have gotten the confidence to say anything to him. Now this young man was currently flirting back.

Lance had way too many fruity drinks now. Hunk was a bit concerned, but he saw how happy Lance was talking to this mysterious leather jacket man. Hunk decided to overhear their conversation a little bit. Snooping never hurt anyone, besides, the bartender was already doing that.

Lance couldn’t stop giggling; this man was so cute and funny and kind ~~and asdfghjkl~~ \- He was having a bi moment. “So, mullet man, what’s your name?”

“Keith. What about yours?”

“Lance.”

“Fitting for such handsome face.”

“Don’t make me blush.”

“Too late, I can see your blush from here.”

Hunk gagged. They were already a gushy couple. They were in the middle of a bar and yet- they couldn’t stop passing at each other. He drank another sip from his water bottle before realizing that Lance and “Keith” left. Hunk was definitely going to use this as blackmail for when Lance forced him to help do his homework.


	2. Flawless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smut, watch out

“It’s getting a little hot, don’t you think, Lance?”

“How about we step outside?”

Lance grabbed Keith’s hand and dragged him outside to the parking lot. Keith seemed completely fine with it, so Lance didn’t think anything was wrong. Lance stared at him and Keith looked up at him.

“Do you wanna, um, y’know??” Lance was embarrassed, but gosh, he could get laid right now with this hot “Keith” dude.

Keith laughed, getting closer to him, “I’d love to. Where to?”

“Uh, um, er, my car?” Lance couldn’t really think straight and his mind went to a dark place. He brought Keith over to his car, opening the back doors. He got in, waiting to Keith to follow.

Keith sighed, getting in the back of Lance’s small car. Lance looked incredibly nervous, staring at Keith.

Keith got closer to Lance, getting on his hands and knees to crawl, “Do you mind if I kiss you?”

“No,” Lance avoided eye contact, if he even glanced at Keith now, he’d just let everything go.

Keith smirked, getting on top of him, leaning down. He licked his own lips before crashing them into Lance’s. Lance’s lips were the softest things Keith had ever kissed. They were a little dry because of the alcohol, but soft nonetheless. Wrapping his arms around Lance, Lance set his own hands on Keith’s hips. Keith left red marks along Lance’s jawline down to his neck. Keith started to undo the buttons on Lance’s shirt, getting more access. Lance moaned, his cheeks becoming as scarlet as those marks.

“You’re… so handsome,” Keith murmured out, he just ripped off Lance’s shirt entirely, moving to leave more marks. A smooch here, a smooch there. Everywhere a smooch, smooch. Keith ran his hands over Lance’s chest, his fingers messing with his nipples before reaching south.

It wasn’t that Lance didn’t want to move, too, but he felt so good. It was just bliss and he was only being touched. Grazing his stomach, Keith reached Lance’s pants, undoing those, too. Keith tried his hardest to fit in the bottom part of his car just to suck his dick. He was going to do that and Lance hadn’t stopped him.

Lance whined, feeling his dick twitch every inch that Keith got closer. Keith lowering his pants and boxers made him feel so vulnerable and yet cared for. Lance watched as Keith pecked his abdomen all the way down to his cock. He felt like he was already going to cum, but Keith kept going, finding some kind of pleasure watching this inexperienced dude.

Keith looked up at Lance with his deep, dark eyes, getting closer and closer to his dick. Opening his mouth, Keith inhaled Lance’s member. Lance’s hands reached to Keith’s head, grabbing ahold of his raven hair. His mouth was so warm and wet and oh, it felt like nothing he had ever come across. 

Lance was in heaven, watching Keith from above the clouds. He took his large dick like nothing at all. Lance was no small dude and Keith seemed very pleased. Keith wrapped his tongue around his cock, getting every side. No part was left untouched. Keith just went back and forth, the erection getting everything it needed. It was a good thing Lance parked far away from the bar entrance. They’d be kicked out because of how loud Lance was.

Keith wanted to touch himself, but he wanted to save it for when he was done pleasuring Lance. Lance was just so cute when he made all of these little sounds. Keith gave a good suck, hoping Lance would cum already. Holding it in didn’t do any good. He reached out onto Lance’s inner thigh, rubbing it gently. Lance squirmed, panting, “K-Keith- I-I- I’m gonna- cum.”

Keith pinched his inner thigh, giving one better suck. Shock therapy works. Lance, flushed, came in an instant. Gosh, that was hot. “Lance, you’re such a good boy.”

“K-Keith, please,” Lance groaned, helping Keith get back on top of him, “Let me touch you.”

Keith nodded, Lance would find out sooner or later anyway. Keith was so familiar with rejection that he didn’t care. Lance was getting over his high and started to unzip Keith’s leather jacket. His hands roamed from Keith’s hips to his waist and to his- wait. Lance stopped, “Where are your nips?”

“I’m wearing a binder,” Keith muttered, worried, “We don’t have to finish this if you’re not interested. I can leave.” Keith started to back away against the car door. Lance stopped him again, “No. It’s okay. I like you. I wanna do this. You can’t leave yet.”

“I can’t exactly fuck you…” He knew that Lance really wanted to be fucked from behind, but Keith did not bring a strap-on. Lance paused, accepting it, “That’s fine. I can fuck you if you want. Nothing wrong with that. I have a condom.”

“All right, that’s fine,” Keith got closer to Lance again, surprised he wasn’t rejected, “Let me ride you.” Lance sighed, reaching into his glove compartment for a condom. He opened the packaging and put it on, “I don’t have lube.”

“I’m wet, it’s fine,” Keith was trying not to mention that he was trans. It was making him uncomfortable. He didn’t like his parts from down there and this wasn’t Michael. It was almost as if he was becoming sober, everything hitting harder. He undid his skinny jeans and pushed them down with his red boxers.

Keith slowly advanced on Lance, getting right on his dick. He was still hard, thank goodness. By the look on Lance’s face, he was still all giddy about Keith. That actually helped Keith out a little, confidence-wise.

Lance held onto him, making sure Keith didn’t dump himself on his dick and hurt himself. As soon as Keith went down and got comfortable, he went off. He grabbed onto Lance, bouncing his ass on his cock. It felt so good. He hadn’t been in any control for a while now. Lance had finally decided that Keith, himself, felt so much better than any mouth. This made Lance feel a little cocky, this hot dude was certainly enjoying himself on Lance’s member.

Lance would never see a sight like this ever again. Keith’s handsome face, covered in a light layer of sweat, moaning and groaning all from Lance alone. Lance held onto Keith’s thighs, feeling each powerful muscle with each bounce.

Lance tried his hardest to imprint this this moment into his mind. All those other girls who gave him their phone numbers were nothing now. Keith was better by ten times. Lance was so close again. It felt like almost too much too soon, but it hit like a bomb. Keith was so quick and good at what he did. Lance was almost a baby, feeling all this greatness at once. Keith stopped bouncing, climaxing. He draped himself over Lance, breathing heavily. Lance also came, Keith feeling it immediately inside himself.

“You feels so good, despite being inexperienced,” Keith smiled, waiting for a response. Lance was drifting already, even if this was a one night stand, Lance did not regret one moment.

A flash of light followed by a curse from a familiar voice scared both of them. Lance swallowed, “Shit, that’s friend. We need to go.”

“I can’t go with you I promised my brother I’d be home,” Keith quickly got off and put his jacket on, “Thank you for being here. Maybe we’ll see each other soon.”

After fixing his pants, Keith snuck out of Lance’s car, hopping onto his bike. Lance called after him, but Keith was too fast. Shit. Lance couldn’t go after him, but he definitely remembered that Hello Kitty shirt.

Keith checked his phone. Fifty missed calls from Shiro. He must’ve been worrying like crazy. He put his GPS on and tried to find his way back home, but that was harder than expected. His mind was so focused on Lance. Something didn’t feel right. Something told him not to leave, but he had other obligations.

Those blue eyes, broad shoulders, big dick. All of those were Lance. He was so kind. He listened, he didn’t stop their sex. He was _perfect_. He wasn’t Michael. He was Lance.

Keith made it home with Shiro lecturing him, but Keith could care less. He wanted Lance. Keith knew he shouldn’t be attached, but it haunted him. He was just with Shiro now, no more relationships. He needed to better himself and not be so dependent on others. He was going to start tomorrow.

-

Lance sighed, sitting up in his car’s back seats. He removed the condom and tied it up, leaving it there next to him. He shouldn’t drive back to his own apartment, but whatever. He just missed his opportunity, so fuck it. Hopping to the front seat, he turned on the engine and drove off.

-

Lance passed his final with flying colors just liked he said he would, but Hunk knew something was up. He didn’t comment, though. The girl sitting next to him in the classroom saw his score, envious, “You should tutor me sometime. I can only wish for a score like yours.”

He glanced at her in disbelief, “You want me to tutor you? A-All right. Uh, what’s your next final?”

“Marine biology.”

“You major in that?”

“Yeah”

“Cool, same.”

Maybe being without Keith won’t be so hard. She seems nice and Hunk could help out. He just needed some kind of distraction, this would be nice.

-

“Lance, I get that your offer to take Pidge and I to the movies is great and all, but you didn’t have to leave a ripped up condom in the backseat. Geez, this is nasty,” Hunk didn’t like to be involved, but he had his limits. He wasn’t that laidback.

Lance panicked, “I’m sorry. What? Did you say a ripped condom?” He pulled over to the side and got out of his car just to see. The condom was definitely broken. Oh no. Keith. Lance grabbed the condom using a paper towel from a roll he had in the back of the car and threw it out in the nearest trash can. He felt like he belonged in there now. How did he not realize the condom was broken?

Pidge was sitting in the passenger’s seat, becoming impatient, “C’mon, Lance. We’re gonna miss the beginning of the movie. You owe me popcorn for helping you study with Lauren. She’s getting all mushy on you and I’m _not_ sitting through that again.”

Silently, Lance got back into the car, and drove to the theater. Pidge noticed Lance’s change in demeanor, “Are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just dandy,” He chuckled, “What movie do you guys want to watch? I heard this action one was pretty good.”

Hunk shrugged, trying not to ruin the mood, “Whatever’s good, I guess.”

Sitting at the back, the three of them shared a large box of popcorn, but Lance was stress eating about Keith. Lovely Keith. He couldn’t stop thinking about him. His smile. His beautiful gemstone eyes. His ugly mullet. He needed to stop thinking about Keith. He has his friends and he has Lauren. She’s also a great listener and she’s pursuing the same major and job. Maybe she’s the best for him.

Lance tried looking for Keith at the same bar and he never saw him. No leather jacket, Hello Kitty shirt, motorcycle, smile and laugh. He didn’t know what to do. Keith was consuming all of his thoughts. He decided it would be best to give up on him, so that’s what he did. He threw in the towel.

After graduating that year, Lance decided to marry Lauren. She was always there for him, studied with him and had gotten the same job along the coast. He was so happy and his family came just for the wedding from Cuba. Everything seemed so right. So _perfect_ , but something was missing. Something important. He didn’t know what it was. He forgot.

The company he worked for wasn’t bad and he had benefits and everything, the best part was that he wasn’t far from his friends, wife, or anything else; everything was still in the same town. His wife always brought lunch for them and they ate together before speeding out on boat with large, underwater cameras. Pidge worked for their technical team, fixing equipment and helping out with computer monitoring. Hunk had a restaurant with Shay and surprisingly, it was really close. Lance only hoped for one thing now. A house.

After a small expedition out on the ocean front to study octopuses, Lance headed to his apartment with Lauren. His job was really close to the city along with the ocean which was helpful, but his apartment was so far away on the other side of town. Sitting down on their couch, Lance pulled out his laptop in search for a house closer along the beach. He honestly just wanted to ride his bike to work with Lauren.

He went on a few websites, finding some really shitty houses, but Lance found the perfect one. He always saw the house when on his boat trips, but he didn’t know it was for sale. Checking to see the price, he went further down the page to find the agent’s name and number. Maybe he could buy up the house and tell Lauren as a surprise. Her birthday was coming up anyway.

Lauren was in their bedroom, changing into more comfortable clothes before Lance came along. There wasn’t anything wrong with Lance looking, but she was still new to all of this. They had only gotten married about a month ago. They didn’t even sleep in the same bed until she moved in with him which was after the marriage. Lance seemed at ease, but she knew he, too, was on edge. She succumbed to her thoughts; was he seeing someone else? Nah. Lance was just too loyal for that. She didn’t just want to ask, though. Lance could just grow be angry if she asked, but this was _Lance_. Maybe she was just overthinking it. Lance wasn’t that bad of a person, what was she thinking? She groaned in frustration, falling face first on the bed.

Lance walked in, shutting his laptop before setting it down on his desk nearby, “Hey, you’re tired, aren’t ya?’

“Yeah, I guess you can say that,” She rolled over to look at him now.

He chuckled, “Don’t worry about it. We’re home now. Y’know what? Let’s order a pizza and watch a movie.”

“I want jalapeños,” She yawned, lazily pointing her finger out at him.

Lance made a face, “Ew, but okay.” He pulled out his cellphone to make an order, nothing wrong with that.

Walking out the room to make the order, he noticed Lauren’s tension. She wasn’t comfortable here at all. Was it something he did? Did his apartment smell bad? Was he your classic shitty husband? Thought started to eat away at him, not realizing he was standing there for twenty-five mintues. Right before he left his dark thoughts, the doorbell rang. Ugh, he just had to overthink everything, huh?

Paying for the pizza and leaving a tip, Lance sat down on the couch, calling Lauren over. She was in a phone call with her best friend, so Lance stood silent, nomming on his slice of pizza. He dropped the slices of jalapeños on her side of the pizza box.

-

Yawning, Keith got up from bed. His alarm was blaring, but he simply didn’t care. No point in even setting an alarm, he didn’t want to get up at all.

“Keith, you’ll be late to work, I left the cereal box on the table; I’m leaving,” Oh right, Keith was staying with Shiro now. He was too hungover to remember. How did he get home again?

Changing into his delivery uniform, he strolled to the kitchen, watching Shiro drive out of the garage to work. Shiro probably wouldn’t be home until later at night. Working in a hospital did that to you apparently.

Keith just dumped the majority of the red cereal box into his small bowl and noticed that Shiro left out chocolate almond milk. His favorite. Stuffing the breakfast junk food in his mouth, he grabbed some orange juice from the fridge, drinking straight from carton. Shiro wouldn’t notice, of course.

It wasn’t that Keith hated his job because it was fairly easy, it was just that the people he delivered to sucked. Picking up the packages from the company office was okay, he waved to his boss and said his greetings. Shoving all of the packages into his car was also fine, but his GPS hated him. It always gave him the long route and time was money. Gas money, that is.

Today, all of the packages were coming from a restaurant not far from shore. Thank goodness, he didn’t want to deal with old women and their cats ordering useless junk. He needed to drive along the long road which overlooked the entire beach to get there. That was definitely his favorite road in this sad city. Glancing from the road onto the beach, he saw a lonely couple, throwing sand at each other. That seemed like a fun date, to be honest; he was envious.

Parking really close to the back entrance of the restaurant, he was welcomed by a familiar dude. He couldn’t put his finger on it, though. Big dude, big smile, kind of nervous. This man walked up to him, “I literally just bought this place and I’m fixing to graduate in a week or so, but I wanted to surprise my friends to an opening night dinner when we leave the ceremony. I kinda need your help to set everything out. I know you’re just a delivery boy, but I’d really appreciate it. I know if you can’t but if you do, I’ll have a reservation out for you.”

Keith stared up at him with big, tired eyes. Did this man call his company to make sure he only brought out _his_ packages and no one else’s? Just to help out? What??? Keith was taken by surprise, “Uh, yeah, I can help you out, I guess. Just keep the door open and I’ll bring stuff inside.”

Running to the trunk of his car, he took out the heaviest packages first. He assumed there were heavy duty pans in those boxes. After finally leaving the last box on the floor of the empty restaurant, Keith pulled out his utility knife that Shiro gave him for Christmas. Ripping open all of boxes, he turned to owner who was helping him out, “Where do you want all of this?” Most of the boxes were filled with cooking tools, plates, and utensils.

“On the tables there would be nice, thanks,” The man pointed to stainless steel set of tables. Keith just set everything on the kitchen’s workspace, organizing all the cardboard boxes and bubble wrap for recycling.

Keith was amazed by all of the stuff this man ordered, oops he forgot about the man’s signature on his clipboard. Grabbing it from a set of empty boxes, he walked up to the man, “I forgot, I need your signature here.”

The man took the clipboard, writing the name “Hunk.” Keith stared, that sounded familiar, but he was too afraid to bother asking who the hell this man was. Hunk found Keith’s pause a bit odd, “Delivery dude, are you okay?”

Keith blinked before looking straight at Hunk, “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. I didn’t get that much sleep last night. Is there anything else you want me to do before I text my boss?”

“No, but here,” Hunk ripped a piece of cardboard off the box and started to write something on it. It was the confirmed reservation on paper- er, cardboard. He smiled, handing it to Keith, “I really appreciate you helping me take everything out of the boxes; that would’ve taken me at _least_ two days to finish.”

Keith nodded, looking at the piece of cardboard. _Reservation for two. Hunk._ Cool, Keith treat Shiro out for everything he’s done. He returned to smile to Hunk, “You’re welcome and thank you. I look forward to see the success of your restaurant.”

-

As the week went on, Keith felt a little better; sober and taking care of himself. It felt a little weird and tiring, but he was doing it. As Friday night was approaching, he told Shiro about the reservation and of course, his older brother was delighted. It had been so long since they ate out, they usually never found the time, but today, this entire week needed to be rewarded.

Coming into the restaurant, Keith noticed how much work Hunk put into the place. A lovely sweet lady came up to them, accepting his piece of cardboard and showing them to a table. The tables had such beautiful table cloths, all embroidered with a capital cursive H. The bland walls were painted a lovely warm beige. Beige seemed boring, but the gray that was there before was nasty and the yellow tinted lights fit right in. The walls had large open windows, showing off the beach landscape below.

Keith seemed really impressed, he didn’t think that such a young man could create such a place in as little as week. Shiro took out his phone and took a photo or two of the beach from their seats. Soft music whispered into their ears, but a loud voice took a sharp knife into it.

“Hunk! My dude, my buddy, my best man! Look what you did to the place. It’s so beautiful, I’m so proud of you!” Keith followed the origin of the sound and he soon wanted to jump out of his seat. It was Lance.

The button-up shirt Lance was wearing didn’t really fit the mood of the restaurant, but his blue eyes were accented from the gold shimmer of the lights. Keith could see them all the way from here. Keith held his breath, trying to calm down, but alas, he couldn’t.

Keith drank his offered glass of water in a single gulp; he was nervous. Lance brought more people with him. Three women and himself. To Keith, this was confusing, but he didn’t want to question it.

Lance was seated two tables away from them, laughing and joking with the three women, but he was very close to one woman. Short curly hair and brown eyes. Keith just assumed that was his girlfriend and soon felt guilt.

He looked down at his empty glass, but soon he felt a pair of eyes on him. Lance was staring straight at him. Keith started to sweat under his jacket. Shiro turned around to see why Keith was so nervous, it didn’t make sense, so he chose to ignore it.

Lance was linked arm-in-arm with Lauren, but he knew that was his lover sitting right there. Two tables away from him. Lance noticed Shiro’s gaze and turned right back to Lauren. He just assumed that Keith was able to find a bigger, stronger man than he. Hmph. It wasn’t like Lance cared.

Keith certainly did, but he couldn’t speak up. It was like he was choking on thin air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lauren and Lance's relationship is strained a lil bit bc they aren't truly comfortable with each other and they know it; they plan on doing something about it next chapter
> 
> keith gets into a lil bit of a pickle next chapter


	3. Unspoiled

They left early that night, heading back home. Shiro kept talking about the seafood meal they had and the salad that seemed to fucking sparkle. Keith wasn’t paying attention to what Shiro was saying, the meal was good and all, but Lance.

Lance was right there and ignored him. Out of all the people he could ever think of. Lance ignored him. Keith wasn’t able to enjoy his meal; he came to one conclusion.

He needed to forget Lance; he just wasn’t worth it. The laughs and the sex was good and all, but it didn’t define them. He didn’t even know who Lance really was. He didn’t even get a last name.

As soon as they drove home, Keith went into his room without saying good night or anything to Shiro. All Keith wanted to do was get over Lance now. Michael was first, Lance was second. Who was next? Keith didn’t want anyone to be next. This was stupid. There was no fucking point in getting into another relationship.

Keith sat in bed, not bothering to change into his pajamas. He looked forward to eating out and treating Shiro, but it all felt to waste because of Lance. Did he not recognize him or something? Was he one of those drunks that just turn gay because of convenience? Was he… closeted? He groaned, falling to his side, tangling up in his blankets. He just wanted someone as great as Lance and nothing was helping.

He was just always reminded of Lance. The Lance that broke his heart without even a date. How pathetic. Keith needed to stop and calm down. Why was he so damned attached? It wasn’t like they were married or anything? Something just called Lance out to him like he was super important? That fucker? Important? Funny. Maybe it was just best to sleep, and that’s exactly what he did.

-

Lance wanted to pass away and stay that way. His wife still didn’t feel comfortable with him and it showed. She didn’t shower with him around. She was always trying to be busy.

He felt bad. Was it his fault? Did she regret falling in love with him? Did she have another person she was talking to?

Today was the day that he was going to confront her. Lance sat across the bed from her, staring, longing for answers. She looked at the floor, avoiding his gaze. Lance gulped, his arms wrapping around himself slightly, “Um, do you not like me or something? We’re married, there must be something wrong if you keep avoiding me.”

She sighed, finally looking at him straight in the eye, “It’s not you, it’s me. I don’t really know whether I belong here or not. I mean, I don’t deserve you. You care too much, I’ve never met a guy like you. You take me out to dinner every weekend, buy me flowers even when we’re married, you bought a house on the coast just for us. What am I supposed to say? I’m almost ashamed to say I’m your wife. I haven’t done anything for you and yet you still love me?”

“You’ve made me happy every single time. That’s enough for me. I just want to focus on us and our future together. We just need to trust each other more. We’ve spent so much time together and every time, it’s been great. I just don’t need you to shy away, it makes me feel like you don’t trust me. I want you to be able to trust me, and tell me when you feel bad. It’s not going to work out if we don’t work through it together. You feel me?” Lance was trying his absolute hardest to get her to understand. A one-sided relationship felt like drowning in a pool of carbon dioxide, suffocating to death slowly.

Lauren nodded, “I guess that’s fine. It’s just a little embarrassing when you have to say that you clogged up the toilet twice and the plunger broke. I tried calling a plumber, but they wouldn’t answer and I’m just worried that you’d laugh at me.”

“Why would I ever laugh at you? I can probably fix the toilet with a little elbow grease and a flashlight. I would just tell ya to eat more fiber and not lock me out of the bathroom for a month. I don’t like running downstairs just to pee, sheesh,” He pouted, “It’s like you don’t trust me at all to tell me anything.”

She didn’t reply, just looking to side to avoid his gaze once again; she felt bad now. Lauren liked Lance, but she knew something was up with him. At Hunk’s opening restaurant date with Allura and Pidge, she felt quarantined. Lance wasn’t paying attention to her, but was staring at the men at the table behind them. The men glanced at Lance, but didn’t say anything. Lance didn’t say anything to them either.

If she got pregnant with Lance’s child, he wouldn’t be looking at others. Especially other men. Her husband was straight, right? He was talking about trust, yet he never tells her anything about his old dating life. He claims he never had anything going on, but she knew that was a lie. Lance was Lance and he was hers. He loves her, right? Then there shouldn’t be anything going on that she didn’t know about.

Was this all Lance’s façade? Fuck Lance’s issues. If he was a real man, he shouldn’t keep secrets. If he was, she was going to do everything in her power to keep her own.

Lance frowned, “You don’t trust me, huh? What can I do to make you trust me? I feel like I’ve done nothing wrong, but please. I’ll do anything.”

Lauren smirked, quickly hiding it with her hand, “There is one thing.”

Lance was a bit fearful now.

-

Keith was having back problems and he slowed down deliveries a little bit. He started texting his boss later and later. He actually received a phone call from him, worried about his late deliveries. He was their fastest delivery boy, what happened? Keith told him the truth and shrugged. There was nothing he could do about it, it wasn’t like he could just take Advil all day. He wasn’t trying to die of kidney and liver failure early or anything; he wasn’t going to doctor. Fuck doctors, they know nothing.

Keith couldn’t just tell Shiro, he’d be a mother hen, warning _and_ scolding him; he wasn’t in the mood to hear any of that. Keith sat in his car after his last delivery to rule out different possibilities. Thank Google.

Kidney stones? His pee was normal.

Straining of muscles? No, he didn’t carry anything heavy at all this week or last.

Herniated disk? Scoliosis? Nothing was really wrong with his spine.

Osteoporosis? No. He ate his spinach for calcium and went out in the sun for Vitamin D.

Arthritis? Uh, no.

Tumors? He didn’t really think so.

Pregnancy? Keith was pretty sure he wasn’t pregnant. He would’ve known.

Keith gave up, driving home. If he went to the doctor, they’d just give him pain medication and he wasn’t taking any more of that. He just was going to have back pain until it went away on its own. He was unfortunately used to that.

What Keith didn’t know was that it would last for months after that. Those months were not the best, but Keith decided to go on a “health binge.” Exercise and healthy meals. A few beers Keith bought in secret. The occasional bar visit with people smoking outside. In moderation, it was considered healthy. The internet said that. The internet isn’t always right. Keith wasn’t the type of person to do things in moderation unless reaching a goal.

Shiro asked Keith to get a few groceries for this week, leaving an extra forty dollars on the kitchen table before leaving to work. Today was Keith’s day off, so he went. Grocery shopping wasn’t bad. He looked at the list Shiro also left behind: almond milk, eggs, protein powder, cereal, rice, potatoes, oranges, apples, instant ramen, onions, carrots, lettuce and spinach.

Keith left at around 1:15 after eating lunch, texting Shiro that he was leaving. Shiro replied with “:D” before being left on read by Keith. Nothing was unusual while going to the store and coming home. Putting the food inside, Keith remembered that he forgot to buy protein powder, so he left Shiro to put everything away while leaving.

Keith decided to go to a health food store to look at the different brands and selections they had. Picking out one that seemed to meet all of his needs, he looked at the pain management supplements they had. He felt like he needed to, his back pain just continued to worse as these months progressed. Today felt especially bad. If pain meds weren’t working for him, would this work?

They had fish oil, turmeric, garlic, and etc. Keith bought one of each with his protein powder and a bottle of water. Getting back into his car, he started to take the recommended amount of each, hoping they would help. His pain only started to get worse until this immense cramping came over him. He didn’t know what it was.

He hadn’t gotten his period ever since last year because he had been on testosterone the entire time. Why cramp now? He called Shiro in a panic, hearing the phone ring out. No one picked up. It didn’t make sense; Shiro always answered. Anxiously, Keith started the car, trying to drive home. If these supplements weren’t working as well as normal pain medication, something was clearly wrong.

Finally making it home, he left everything he bought on the table and looked for Shiro. He was currently showering… just great. Not wanting to bother him, Keith sat down in the living room, trying to find a distraction on television. It wasn’t helping his anxiety and this pain only escalated. Flushing and sweating like a mad man, he tried to take deep breaths. Burning up with a fever, Keith only tried to finish the bottle of water he bought earlier. As soon as Shiro came out dressed, Keith called out to him. Shiro noticed his state of panic and decided it was time to go to the hospital.

Helping Keith stand up from the couch, this feeling of hot liquid came out in the worst possible place. Shiro was so confused, trying to put pieces of a puzzle together. Keith was taking pain medication sometimes and complained about back pain even if it wasn’t often. Now, he appeared to be cramping and bloody water flowed down his brother’s legs. It hit him.

Shiro gulped, taking a deep breath of his own before telling Keith, “I think you’re going into labor.”

“What? How? I couldn’t be pregnant! I don’t see any signs of baby coming along. I’m not going out sleeping with every person I see!” This didn’t help Keith’s mental state.

“I don’t know of any other disease or illness where stuff is coming out of your uterus like this. It probably won’t be a lot of fluid, but you need to get to a hospital before your contractions become a problem. You’re going through one right now.”

“Shiro, I’m scared. Am I really giving birth to a baby I didn’t know about for months?”

“I think so, but even if you aren’t, this pain of yours isn’t normal. We need to go. Can you walk?”

“Yeah, a little, the pain is a little bit better, but not by much.”

Driving to the hospital wasn’t too bad, but Keith’s pain seemed to escalate every few minutes. Shiro felt his stress rise, worried for his little brother; he couldn’t imagine what he was going through.

As soon as they got there, a nurse quickly attended to Keith, grabbed a nearby doctor before realizing that Shiro also worked the earlier shift. Shiro gave his ideas out while talking about a few of Keith’s vital signs. The other doctor called for an ultrasound and waited.

If this man gave birth without knowing he was pregnant all of these months, his baby would be at high risk for complications and losing said baby. This wasn’t good news at all. It took a few minutes just to realize what was happening through the ultrasound. He was definitely in labor.

Keith couldn’t take the contractions anymore and just started to cry. It wasn’t like he cried often either, but this made him feel real pain. All that back pain he’s had for months was nothing compared to this. Shiro was next to him the entire time, holding his hand.

“Sir,” The nurse spoke up, “Have you been drinking or smoking at all in these past few months?”

Overwhelming guilt crashed onto Keith, “I-I’ve drank and been around others who smoke.”

The nurse was trying really hard not to make the situation worse, “We’re going to test your baby as soon as they come out. Hopefully, there won’t be any complications. You haven’t taken prenatal vitamins or have gone to any doctor appointments regarding a pregnancy. We don’t know what’s going to happen. A single ultrasound doesn’t tell us anything.”

Keith was having another contraction as soon as she finished talking and the doctor noticed a head. He was already giving birth and that was a lot of fluid.

When the doctor told Keith to push, he fucking did alright. The doctor started help the baby out and soon clamped up the umbilical cord, cutting it immediately. There was no sound coming from the baby.

Keith wanted to die from guilt and felt that he deserved all that pain for not taking care of himself more. He ate well, but that didn’t mean he was completely healthy. A whimper made him turn his head to see a squirming little bundle. The doctor was cleaning up Keith from down before commenting, “You have a beautiful baby girl, but for now we need to pass the placenta.”

He wanted to gag as the doctor said that, watching as the nurses took his baby girl away. After he followed the instructions from doctors, he waited there, Shiro still holding his hand.

He looked up at his older brother, tired and still in disbelief, “Did that happen?”

“Yeah, it did.”

“I feel really bad and I can’t do anything about it anymore.”

“If anything does happen to her, you always have to be there, helping her out.”

“I’m already a terrible parent, how am I supposed to help and support her?”

“You didn’t know and I didn’t even know. You can’t blame yourself for something like this.”

“But still, I did dangerous stuff all the time these past few months. I still drove around on my bike, knowing the consequences of crashing or getting hit. I still drank beer and alcohol, my problem could kill my baby while she’s gone, Shiro. She could die and it’s my fault.”

“It isn’t your fault, even with your old drinking problem. Anyone could’ve been pregnant unknowingly and continue their life and habits. You also know some mothers know they’re pregnant and still drink and smoke. If you knew, I have a feeling you would’ve been responsible. I know you, Keith, you aren’t at fault for what happened.”

“Do you think she’ll be okay, Shiro?”

“Maybe. We’ll see. Rest, you just pushed a baby out.”

Keith chuckled, “Alright, thanks Shiro.”

A few hours later in Keith’s recovery room, a nurse came in to give and receive information. Shiro was still with him, reading articles about babies on his cellphone.

“Mr. Kogane, your daughter is still being tested, having a few complications. Besides the small complications, she’s doing just fine. I just need to know a few more things. What will you name your daughter?”

Keith didn’t really think of any names. He didn’t have any kind of chance to think about it. He turned to Shiro, “I didn’t really have any names ready. I can’t really think of anything with meaning.”

Shiro, while Keith was asleep, thought of a few names, “How about we name her after our mom?”

“Keiko? What does it, um, mean?”

“Blessed.”

“Yeah, I like that.”

Keith turned to the nurse with a small smile, “I’ll name her Keiko Krolia Kogane.”

The nurse wrote that down, showing Keith about correct spelling and then she sat back down, “Do you have a car seat to take her home in?”

Keith shook his head, “No, I didn’t even know I was pregnant, much less prepare for one.”

“You aren’t allowed to take her home later today if you don’t have one.”

Shiro stood up, “I’ll go get one and a few baby supplies. Will she need formula?”

“I believe so since he isn’t breastfeeding,” The nurse was starting to walk him out, “Are you the father?”

Shiro made a face of disgust, “I’m his older brother. I don’t even know who the father is. I actually doubt Keith knows.”

As soon as they left the room, Keith looked at the ceiling, accepting everything.

About an hour later, the doctor and nurse came in with a small bundle wrapped in a pink blanket. Keith was about to start crying; he already felt so attached to her. He smiled taking her in his arms.

The doctor sat next to Keith, “She seems healthy based on multiple tests we performed. Since you didn’t go to any appointments, we didn’t know whether she was in contact with any harmful bacteria or virus from your vaginal area during birth. We checked her out and she’s fine. We did the same test to you and you’re also fine. We checked for any deformities, conditions, and illnesses. She’s completely fine, but she had a little trouble breathing. She stabilized herself over a few hours, but now she’s much better. You two were a weird case. I never thought I’d see a person with abs give birth to a full term baby.” The doctor laughed, getting Keith to calm down a little from all this complication talk.

Keith looked down at his baby girl. She definitely looked like a Keiko. He felt a wave of calm flood over him when she opened her eyes to look up at him. They were a beautiful dark eyes, full of innocence. He was really blessed to see such a baby. The doctor said full term, but she was so small. Guilt was at the back of his mind, but she was pink and healthy.

Coming home was an experience he’d never forget. He kept reading her birth certificate over and over. Only five pounds and four ounces. Born at three in the afternoon. He felt her presence from the front seat. He wanted to turn to see her in her seat, but he was still so sore. He wasn’t given an epidural, so the pain medication they gave him was strong. He didn’t take it, though.

Shiro went out and bought baby formula, a car seat, a crib, and a few baby clothes. He knew she was a small baby as soon as she came out. He was an uncle and had to keep them both safe now. Driving was sure stressful, though.

“Keith, do you have any idea who the father is based on the way Keiko looks?”

“No. She looks too much like me. She doesn’t look like Michael or… him.”

“Who’s this _him_?”

“I went drinking, right? I met this really nice man and we fucked in the back of his car, but he had condoms and I’m on T. I shouldn’t get pregnant, right?”

“Being on T just lowers the risk of getting pregnant, it isn’t birth control, y’know.”

“But my period stopped.”

“What else does T do, hmm?”

“Cut me some slack, Shiro.”

“I will only because you’re a father now.”

“That makes me feel old, but I’m only twenty-three.”

“You’re going to have to get used to it, Keith.”

Staying silence, he looked down at the birth certificate again. He noticed where it said parents. Only his name was there. That broke his heart. He’d be raising his daughter without another parent around.

As came into the driveway, Keiko started to cry.

-

Lauren came out of the bathroom while a smirk on her face, her eyes filled with malice. Lance knew his fear came true. She sat next to him, “We’re pregnant.”

“I’m very happy for us,” Lance didn’t say it with joy, “I hope the baby will be just like us. Half me, half you.”

“It’ll help us grow closer as a family. Maybe we can even have another,” He got closer to him, trying to hug him tightly. He wasn’t very enthusiastic about all of this. He had a responsibility as a father now. He was stuck. He couldn’t just divorce a pregnant woman. He knew why she was like this. He was clearly not straight and she didn’t like it.

All he wanted was to live a happy life with his wife and child. Not be watched over constantly by her. He felt so trapped and alone. He couldn’t call his mother about this, she’d end up being excited over the baby.

These were going to be the worse months of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk how tf that bby is alive


	4. Unblemished

Asleep in his old bed, Keith dreamt about that night with Lance. His mind was flooded with Lance. Lance laughing at his silly joke at the bar. Lance being okay with the fact that he was trans. Lance actually enjoying their night. Lance holding and grabbing his hand. Lance ignoring him. Lance forgetting about him. Lance.

Sudden shift in movement woke him up, pain and soreness bringing him into reality. His baby was whimpering. Oh, right, he had a baby now. Getting up, Keith walked over to Keiko’s crib. He slowly picked her up, checked her diaper. Nothing was wrong with that. Was she hungry? Maybe. He carried her to the kitchen while getting some formula ready. She continued to whimper as he rocked her back and forth gently. Was he doing this right?

Checking the bottle, he found it safe to feed her with it and sat down. Putting her in the right position, Keith brought the bottle to her attention. She latched on, drinking the bottle of powdered formula. She was happy and content, slowly stopping her whimpering.

Keith thought it was so odd how quiet she was. She didn’t cry unless she was really uncomfortable. She didn’t smile or laugh much. Sleeping made sense, but still. She was eating alright, she finished her bottle. He set the empty bottle to the side, watching over her. She studied and focused on the way Keith looked. His long, greasy hair, tired eyes, and flushed skin. Having a baby did that to you apparently.

She soon fell asleep in his arms, but he still sat there, memorizing all of her features. Her cute nose, ears that stuck out just a little bit, and eyebrows furrowed slightly. She was beautiful and he didn’t deserve her.

Going back to his room, Keith set her down in her crib and did research of his own. She’s a newborn, so she shouldn’t do much, but it worried him. A baby that didn’t plain out cry. Instead of finishing his research, Keith ended up falling asleep.

In the morning, Keith woke up to still find his baby asleep- thank goodness. He picked her up and headed to Shiro’s room, knocking. Shiro opened the door, to find Keith and smiled, “Do you need anything?”

“Can you please watch over her for a little bit? I need to call my boss and take a shower. I shouldn’t be too long,” Keith slowly handed her over to Shiro, having full trust with him. He left before saying anything else. He just dumped a baby on his brother.

Keith went back to his room and dialed his boss’s number. While hearing it ring, Keith was wondering how to explain this. The phone picked up, “Oh Keith, I was wondering if you left with all the packages this morning already, but I checked and everything was still there. Are you okay?’

“How do I say this… I need to go on _maternity_ leave. I kinda… had a baby yesterday at three in the afternoon,” Keith gulped, not really wanting to hear the screams of all the office workers if his boss put his phone of speaker.

His boss just felt conflicted; his delivery boy didn’t look pregnant. Was he sending a pregnant person out to deliver packages in the cold? That wouldn’t look good on the company, “Um, did you know you were pregnant all these months? You certainly didn’t look pregnant.”

“No, Sir. I didn’t know. I’m still in shock. I don’t really know what to do. My brother is helping me out, but I feel lost. I need to take care of my baby,” Keith hoped it was paid maternity leave.

“Do the best that you care with the best of your ability. You can have maternity leave. Paid,” His boss felt this was the best for his best delivery boy and it made the company look good if Keith talked about it.

Keith felt a bit of stress leave his heavy heart, “Thank you so much, but I have one last question. Um, how long is maternity leave?”

“Around twelve weeks, but if you need more time, just call me, okay? Now go take care of your baby,” The boss sighed, he was going to lose his best delivery boy to a baby. A co-worker overheard, curious to who the baby was from. She’d figure it out.

Keith ended to phone call and got undressed, getting ready for a warm shower.

Shiro, on the other hand, held Keith’s sleeping baby, worried about hurting her. She was so damn small. How was he not supposed to hurt her? Waking up, Keiko looked up at Shiro with huge eyes. She seemed comfortable with him, but geez- her stare is kind of creepy.

As soon as Keith came out of the shower, he picked up his baby from Shiro and brought her back to his room. Setting her down on his clear, empty bed, Keith noticed her moving a little. He started to realize how helpless she was without him. He sighed, watching her until she fell asleep again. He smiled, putting her back into her crib again.

-

Lauren ordered a few more things from that company. Despite the odd looking delivery boy, she liked the stuff from there. She was even more ecstatic that they carried baby supplies and junk. Sitting at her laptop, a positive pregnancy test right next to it, she browsed all that they had.

Lance was sitting in the kitchen, trying to figure out how to make lunch. If he made something she didn’t like, she’s get upset, but if he asked, she always replied with, “Whatever. It’s food.”

She felt like she had the right to do whatever she wanted because she was pregnant and apparently it’s his fault, so he has to deal with the consequences. He decided to make macaroni and cheese. She can’t hate that, right?

A ring on the doorbell and few knocks picked up both of their attention. Lance went up to the door to find Allura in an ugly uniform carrying a box. Out of breath, she held out a clipboard, pointing to a line made for a signature. Signing it, Lance just had to ask a few questions, “Um, I thought you worked in an office building… Not delivering packages… Do you need water? I have some.”

She nodded and he ran to fetch one and gave it to Allura. She drank a bit before perking up, “Our delivery person just delivered a baby yesterday and we have no one else delivering packages. They picked one of us office workers and I was chosen. It’s freezing out here, but it works up a sweat. I can handle it, but you two live isolated near the ocean.”

Lance chuckled, “Don’t worry about it. I wish you luck, though. You’ll learn a lot about the city.”

Allura nodded, “I guess you’re right, I need to be on my way. Thank you, Lance. I’ll see you soon.”

Lance waved to her good-bye before giving the package to Lauren, “What is this anyway?”

“A decorative pillow for this couch,” She patted the cushion she was sitting on, “You picked an ugly couch for this house.”

“I like this couch. It’s comfortable and it matches the accent colors of the other decorations in this room,” He pointed to the other nick nacks in the room, “Look at the glass dolphin and the painting!”

“Lance, the couch is just straight up ugly. It needs pillows to make it look better,” She ripped open the cardboard box and it was a nasty mustard yellow pillow. There was nothing yellow in this room besides the natural sunlight.

He gagged, “Now _that_ pillow is straight up ugly.”

“Screw you. Is lunch ready?”

“Not with you yapping at me.”

“Hurry the fuck up, the baby wants to eat.”

“You’re not even a month pregnant, you idiot.”

Lance stopped trying to argue and started to make macaroni and cheese. He added extra cheese and breadcrumbs, putting it in the oven. He hoped it was good; Hunk taught him how to make it, so…

Serving it became an issue when she said it smelled bad; Lance thought it was good. He just made her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, eating the majority of the macaroni and cheese. He started to stab it, throwing it away in a fit of anger.

-

As days turned into weeks, Allura was continuing to do Keith’s job, telling Keith’s usual patrons about his absence. That didn’t help Keith in the long run. Being in a small city where everyone at least knew his name, it didn’t bring him in a good light.

“A man giving birth to a baby?”

“He’s transgender?”

“Where’s the father?”

“See? All transgender people are irresponsible and fuck whoever they want.”

As Keith went around, going to the store and doing errands with his baby, he ended up getting a lot of looks. He didn’t understand why until he saw Allura doing his job. That suddenly made sense. She wasn’t good at keeping stuff personal. Everyone else could’ve seen a normal father with his daughter, but no.

Putting his daughter in her car seat, he noticed someone approaching them. Keith closed the door and locked it. He decided to put the rest of his groceries in the back of the car, knowing that if the person was dangerous, his position would be best for his baby.

“Keith,” The man called out to him, “I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

Keith finished putting his groceries away, closed the back and turning around. Michael. He glared at the taller man, “Is there something you need help with? If so, go ask the people in the store. They can probably help you. I don’t see how I can help you in any way, shape, or form.”

“I think only you can help me out with this problem,” He chuckled, “So, about your precious cargo. It’s mine, right?”

“Ever heard of _this isn’t your business_?”

“It is if that baby of yours is mine, too, huh?”

“Leave me alone, Michael. Since when did you care?”

“Everyone keeps talking about you, who the father is, and how irresponsible you are. You don’t deserve that kid.”

“Just leave me alone. You aren’t a part of this family. The baby isn’t yours. The baby will never, ever be yours. Over my dead body.”

“I’m the only person who slept with. I’m the father. I have to be.”

“Funny. I slept with a really nice guy the day after you cheated on me. I’m pretty sure you aren’t the fucking father. The baby looks nothing like your ugly face.”

“Oh, so you don’t know who the father is. That’s even more irresponsible. Why did I ever date you? If this baby is mine. I’m putting the baby on my tax forms.”

“You don’t even know the girl’s name, you idiot.”

“You’re the idiot. You just gave me the gender of your child.”

Keith was becoming pissed, red in the face, “Fuck off, Michael. You have three seconds before I call the police on your ass.”

“And? I’ll tell them about your drinking problem and they’ll take away your baby girl. You’re unfit to be a parent.”

Keith just got into his car and drove off. Michael needed to leave him the fuck alone. Keith was almost certain Keiko wasn’t his. She had Lance’s ears, eyes, and nose. There was nothing of Michael on her face or anywhere else.

This wasn’t going to be the last of Michael and Keith knew it.

-

The past few months were hard on the both of them, Lance dealing with his wife, Lauren, and Keith dealing with a very quiet baby. Luckily for Keith, he was able to work again. His baby girl could go with him to work anyway. It’s his car anyway; fuck daycare. He only did work a few hours anyway.

Coming back to his first day working, he saw his boss and a few other workers. He was using the car seat to transport her. He had to show his boss he wasn’t joking, right? His boss was certainly surprised, “Um, what’s her name?”

“Keiko, Sir,” Keith answered, “I don’t exactly work for long and I was thinking of taking her with me.”

“If it’s safe enough for her, then I don’t see why not. You’re not working in an office like this, so sure, I guess.”

“Thank you, it means a lot to me,” He looked down as his baby who seemed on edge from all these people staring at her. She sneezed, and all his co-workers got up closer to her.

All of these “aws” and cooing upset her. She started to cry and everyone backed away. Keith took her away from all these people. He started to leave before shouting, “I’ll get back on it. I’ll text you when I’m done!” He hoped his boss heard.

Strapping the car seat back in, he sighed; she stopped crying as soon as they went outside. He didn’t understand. She never cried around him or Shiro, but she cried when around people up in her face. That would make sense, but never crying for anything else? He talked to her pediatrician about it, but the pediatrician just shrugged it off.

Having all his packages on his passenger’s side, he was ready to go. Keith, from experience, knew to leave the packages that had addresses far from downtown last. He had two packages for a house up near the Marine Research Institute. He had been there one time before maternity leave, but he didn’t need a signature for that package in particular. He was told by his boss just to leave it. Weird.

Keith shrugged, heading there next. He had the radio on, looking at his rear view mirror to find his baby asleep. She seemed content, but tired. He found it relatable, but he had a job to do and he was finally here. He left the A/C on and got off with the last two packages. He knocked on the door, waiting for an answer.

The door opened to find that one lady again. The lady with the blonde curly hair and big, brown eyes. He looked uninterested, giving her his clipboard, “Sign here. You already know that.”

She laughed, taking the packages, ignoring the clipboard, “You know what else I know. I know who the father of your child is.”

“Who my family is, is _my_ personal business. You can’t just tell people these things,” Keith wasn’t having it. First Michael and now this crazy ass lady, “I have to go, please sign on the dotted line.”

“Lance, honey, help with this package,” She turned around looking for this “Lance” dude. It couldn’t be the old Lance, but there he was, in all of his glory. He came over and took the packages from Lauren, dumping them to the side, “I don’t have time for this. Stop ordering all of these packages. You don’t even need most of this junk!”

He didn’t even bother looking at Keith, but he kept avoiding Keith’s gaze. She gave Keith an evil smile, before taking the clipboard to sign the form, “Bye, my own package is no longer yours.”

Keith was shocked as she slammed the door in his face.

-

“You bring me over just to take two more packages of pillows,” Lance growled, “I’m pretty sure you can carry two _very_ light boxes. Pregnant or not.”

“I’m _pregnant_ Lance, I can’t do everything. It’s your baby. The more I strain, the more the baby gets hurt.”

“You aren’t straining to open the door and have a conversation with the new delivery man. I’m pretty sure that dude didn’t want your package.”

“You wouldn’t understand. You didn’t even look at him.”

“Why? You’d yell and curse at me if I looked at another person. You get insanely jealous of me looking at anyone. You don’t even like me and yet you get jealous. I only looked at Allura because you know her.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Accusing your pregnant wife of doing anything wrong? Shame on you.”

Lance just grabbed his hat on the coat rack and left to walk to work. He needed to get away from her. She was toxic and he couldn’t breathe. Walking out from the front door, he saw the delivery man fixing a few things in the back seat. The delivery man was talking to something in the back of the car. Was he changing a diaper? That confused Lance, but he kept walking anyway. No point in bothering the man more than what his wife did.

-

Keith decided to head home, but something kept following him. A red SUV. Huh. How familiar. He stopped at a Braum’s, waiting for the van to pass him up. It didn’t. He tried losing the SUV by turning on the next street a few times. It was definitely following him. Keith did a brash U-turn and looked at the driver in the face.

It was two men. Michael and his slutty boyfriend. Angry, Keith started to follow them now. Michael pulled his head out of the driver’s seat window to look at Keith. He started to yell at Keith now, “Give me your fucking baby. She isn’t yours, you trans fuck!”

Keith glared at him and started beeping furiously at him; he definitely wasn’t giving up his baby girl. Keith started to panic as soon as Michael pulled out a pistol. Fuck. Keith tried to pass them up, but Michael’s boyfriend was controlling the van. Keith slowed down, allowing the van to speed up forward; he did another U-turn to lose them. He needed to go home before they found out where he lived.

He drove on unfamiliar streets and found his home. He drove in the garage, hiding his car as much as possible. Getting out, he pulled his daughter from the car seat and went inside. Locking all the doors, covering all windows, going into a safe, enclosed room, Keith hid. They weren’t taking his fucking baby anywhere.

Michael used to be his kind, loving boyfriend and now he turned into this demon with a red SUV. Keith was a hundred percent sure Lance wasn’t like that. Keith held his sleeping baby in his arms, watching her carefully. She was so carefree and he was stressed. All of this was going to give him gray hairs.

About fifteen minutes later, Keith heard banging on the front door. That was loud and definitely not Shiro. Scared, Keith grabbed a metal baseball bat from the next room. If he had to, he’d fight for his baby. Why the hell was Michael was adamant about taking his baby with his slutty boyfriend?

As soon as the banging stopped, Keith had a terrible feeling. He ran throughout the house and found nothing. Heading back to where he set Keiko down, he heard the banging again. It echoed which meant it came from the kitchen. That door was weak and would bust down at any moment. Upset, Keith quickly hid into the basement with his baby in his arms. Locking the door and turning the light on, he heard footsteps from outside the door.

-

Shiro finally left the hospital from his long overnight shift. ER shifts sucked. As a doctor it was hard dealing with patients, but as an ER doctor? It was that times ten. People coming in with the weirdest things and chronic illness. Helping felt like he was doing something to guide these people to a pathway of health, but not always. It usually felt like never.

Driving home, he realized that Keith should’ve been home and had dinner made. It was a deal that whoever came home first would make dinner. Keith was a much better cook than Shiro, but he didn’t know everything about the cooking world. The only thing Shiro couldn’t fuck up was instant ramen and cereal. Keith needed to eat healthier these days due to a certain new family member, but Keith had trouble with that. Being so tired by waking up in the middle of the night took its toll on him. Keith didn’t have much energy, but still got things done. He was even working now. Shiro was proud of him, but he needed a break before passing out from exhaustion one of these days.

Driving up to the back of the house, noticed Keith’s car was in the garage. That’s odd. Getting out with his keys, he was about to open the back door to notice it was open. Keith always locked the door. Where was Keith and Keiko?

Shiro looked around only to find the basement door wide open. That was their tornado safety room. Why was it open? Walking down the stairs, he heard crying. Keiko was crying. That ear piercing scream. It couldn’t be anyone else.

He bolted down those stairs to find Keith and his ex-boyfriend. He didn’t see any other car outside, so where the fuck did he come from? Shiro made his presence known, “Get the fuck out of my house.”

Keith had the baseball bat in his hands, ready to blow that man’s head off. The man, however, had a pistol at Keith. Keiko was down there, based on her screaming, but she was nowhere to be found.

Michael turned to Shiro and only pointed the gun at him instead. Keith took this opportunity to hit him as hard as possible in the ribs. Michael dropped the gun, clinging to his side and falling to his knees. Grabbing the gun, Keith pointed it at Michael. Immediately after, Keith passed out.

All Keith remembered was his daughter’s cries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if allura didnt tell everyone what happened to keith, maybe the incident with michael wouldn't have happened lol  
> it isn't rly her fault tho
> 
> i was thinking of making his boss coran, but the more i thought about it, it didn't rly fit
> 
> nothing is wrong with keiko btw, she's just rly shy  
> keith attends to her needs so she knows there isn't a point in crying or making sounds about it
> 
> pls comment ur questions  
> i might get to them. i might not ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> edit 6/29/2018  
> i changed a few things to make it more understandable


	5. Immaculate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i was getting my gf to read over the chap and she said she cried and so did i while writing so lol  
> warning i guess

In a frenzy, Shiro took his cell phone out of his pocket and called 911. Explaining the situation to the operator, she promised him that the police and an ambulance would come soon. Michael started to cough out blood, Shiro assumed that Keith used every bit of nervous energy he had to whack him.

Shiro didn’t even bother to worry about Michael, his little brother did enough damage to him; however, he did use some rope they had in the basement to tie up his hands and feet.

Shiro started to look for the baby. Looking around, he found her among open boxes of old clothes. He noticed Keith gently put her in a box of his old dresses; the box was labeled with Keith’s dead name. Keiko’s onesie was white and matched the dresses she was laying on top of.

Bringing Keiko into his arms, he went down to help out Keith. He did what Keith wanted, care for his baby first. Now to help Keith… Following rules and procedures, Shiro helped him on his back, opened up his uniform shirt, and released a few clasps from his binder. Keith was barely breathing, but opening his binder helped out a little bit. Within a minute or two, Keith was slowly coming back into consciousness.

The basement light was all he saw when he opened his eyes; focusing them, he looked for his baby, finding her right next to him. Slowly sitting up with the help of Shiro, he took his baby in his arms, still feeling a bit lightheaded. Michael was still in the room, but he was coughing up and tied up. This was certainly news to him.

“C-Can I go upstairs?” Keith was a bit uneasy from what just happened.

Shiro shook his head, “I’m afraid not. An ambulance is coming for the both of you and we need to make a police report.”

“Oh,” Keith looked down at his baby’s face, tearstained and red. She always knew when something was wrong, huh.

His older brother sighed, “It shouldn’t be too long. I think the EMT might just let us go. You’re fully awake now, right?”

“I guess. I don’t feel dizzy anymore,” Keith started to clean up his baby’s face with his fingers.

“That’s good,” As soon as Shiro replied, he heard the sirens pass down the street outside.

People soon started entering from the back door and Shiro got up to greet them. Keith stayed downstairs, a little bit worried. He wasn’t going to be charged for anything, was he? He already had a few things under his name and this wasn’t going to help one bit.

A few policemen took Michael away with a single EMT. Another EMT came down to attend to Keith’s needs. They decided to bring Keith upstairs with the help of Shiro. Doing a police report would be much easier in the living room than down in the hot basement.

Relaxing into the couch, Keith talked about his condition with the EMT and decided it would be okay for interrogation. One of the police officers sat with Keith and Shiro for a while and soon left into the basement with another police officer.

This was just too much for Keith; he slowly stood up, walking into his room. Shiro didn’t say a word as he watched. Carrying his baby and bringing her to her crib, Keith sat on the edge of his bed watching. He had so many questions.

Why was Michael wanting his baby so bad? Where was his ride? Why did he have a gun? Nothing made sense, but Keith would just have to keep moving on.

-

The next few months weren’t very eventful, but Keith had news and relief despite a new annoyance. Michael had only seven years in jail. That was barely anything and Keith still didn’t get news on Michael’s boyfriend either.

The new annoyance came from one of his usual patrons. Lance’s wife. She was straight up annoying. Today was no different. Keith arrived at her door once more with five boxes. He didn’t even have to knock before she opened the door.

“Hi, delivery boy, my baby and I,” She gave a hard pat at her swollen stomach, “need a little help. You see… That is just too heavy for me. I need to call my husband over.”

Lance was getting ready to head to work and was stationed right behind her. He just grabbed all the boxes and threw them all in the living room. He didn’t have any feelings toward these packages anymore. Grabbing his hat, he just left. He wasn’t putting up with this anymore.

She just laughed, waiting for Lance to completely leave their front yard, “My baby and I are going to live such a happy life with my husband to help out. I don’t suppose you have a wife or husband, hmm? That baby of yours is going to turn out horrible without another parent around. At least _my_ baby has _both_.”

“Ma’am, once again. For the fiftieth time this month, my family is _my_ business and you are not a part of my family. I feel like I’m talking to a broken record. Are you just verbally harassing me now? I don’t care if Lance is your husband and the father of your child. I’m just here to deliver your dumb packages. Just sign already,” Keith was so close to throwing his clipboard at her, “You know exactly where that dotted line is, so I don’t know why you stall so much.”

“Oh, Darling, don’t worry about it. Lance probably doesn’t even remember you. You’re just _that_ one night stand he had like almost two years ago? I don’t remember- You’re just unfortunate. You ended up with his child and yet he doesn’t even know that baby exists. If you tell him, he just won’t believe you,” Giggling, she signed his form, “One of these days Lance just might yell at you.”

Shutting the door in his face again, Keith just went back to his car, finding Keiko asleep. She was usually asleep during this time of day. Nothing new. Heading back home, Keith saw Keiko wake up through the rearview mirror. He smiled, “Hey, sunshine. Did you take a good nap?”

“Ba.”

“Really? That’s good to know.”

“Baba.”

“Don’t call me _Mama_ now.”

“Ba.”

“Don’t argue with me, young lady.”

“Baaaaaa.”

He laughed, finally reaching their home. Getting her out of her car seat, he brought her to the kitchen to make a new bottle for her. Feeding it to her, he realized something. She was more talkative and expressive nowadays. She looked up at him with her big eyes, using her hands to grab the bottle. He smiled, “You know, you’re pretty cute.”

Setting her down in her highchair, Keith quickly made a sandwich. He ate it as quickly as he made it, she kept staring. He already fed her, but maybe she was ready for solid pureed food. He kept that in the back of his mind before picking her up again. With a play mat on the ground in the living room, he set her down carefully. The kitchen was connected, so there wasn’t any problem. She messed around with a toy that had been there since the last time she was there. Somehow remembering it, Keiko started to shake it before placing it in her mouth.

Keith was too occupied with the television to notice what she was doing. The news was certainly boring and so were all the shows after. He didn’t understand why people watched this crap. He sighed before turning to Keiko on the floor. She seemed sleepy after eating, but she was too interested in the toy. He chuckled, getting down on the floor with her. He brought out another toy from the other side of the play mat. He shook it in front of her, letting the bell inside the toy ring. She took interest, reaching out for it and giggling.

Playing with her was much more fun than the news. Before she got too tired, Keith brought Keiko to her crib and set her down to rest. He learned from experience that everyone needed a little bit of a break. Maybe a certain someone who lived near the Marine Research Institute could take a break.

-

Lance needed to get away from her for a while, so he made a very smart plan: pretend to get groceries and then go out with Pidge, Hunk, and Allura. It was simple enough, Lauren was stupid, and his friends already planned to go out today.

After his shift, he texted Lauren and left with Pidge in her car. The ride wasn’t exciting, but he had a nice time chatting with her. Hitting up the large office building near McDonald’s, they spotted Allura and picked her up, too.

“So where are we going?” Lance just had to ask. Just because he had this idea didn’t mean he had everything planned out.

Pidge just answered him plainly, “Hunk’s. He texted me earlier and said he wanted to eat with all of us. He has an announcement or something. He doesn’t know that you’re coming, but I don’t think he minds. You never come out with us anymore.”

“It’s not _my_ fault. I wanna go out, drink, eat, and hang out with you guys. She’ll get mad and then I’m under her witch control,” He grumbled, “She probably knows already.”

Allura shrugged, “You could always divorce her.”

“She’s pregnant. I’m not an asshole and my mom would be disappointed. ‘You married this girl, got her pregnant and now you wanna leave her?’ I can hear my mom yelling and feel her pulling my ear,” He pouted, “I was thinking of starting to file paperwork in the last month of her pregnancy. I want custody of the baby.”

“It’s not a bad idea. You might find someone better,” Pidge yawned, turning the corner.

Lance felt like a bunch of bricks hit him, “I doubt it. Who goes around trying to date with a baby? Almost every single one of those relationships fail.”

“What if they have a kid and are looking for a working relationship? Would you give it a chance?” Allura pondered; Lance would _have_ to look into it, right?

Lance fiddled with his thumbs, “Maybe. Those people are usually old and don’t have much to give and then one of us is gonna be stuck babysitting.”

“Let’s talk about it when we get off. I already feel stress when working next to you. I don’t even have the same job as you,” Pidge complained, trying to find a parking spot now.

Finding Hunk in his own restaurant was easy; either was cooking or talking to customers. However, Hunk was waiting for the group to arrive. He was delighted to see Lance with them this time. It had been a few months since the last time he saw Lance.

“Oh, guys. It’s so good to see you,” He pulled all three of them into a warm hug before letting them pick a place to sit around. After sitting down in a quieter area of the restaurant, the group settled, trying to figure out their reason for being invited here.

Pidge looked around before picking up on Hunk’s nervous behavior, “Okay, so what’s the big meeting about?”

Hunk gulped, “So remember I told you I had a girlfriend named Shay? Well, I was planning on marrying her and I need you guys to help me out with a proposal.”

“That’s lovely, when and where do you plan on proposing?” Allura was intrigued by the whole concept.

“Saturday night is a one year anniversary and I want to make it special. Like simple, but not too simple where it looks like I haven’t tried. I also don’t want it too fancy where it feels like I put more effort in getting ready than actually considering why I’m proposing,” Hunk was using hand gestures now; this was getting serious.

Lance thought about it for a moment, “How about you propose on the beach? Get some champagne going and talk. Walk to your apartment or something. Spend time with her, make her feel like she’s the only girl in the world. We’ll go and support you, man.”

Pidge nodded, “That’s sensible. It’s a bit cheesy and cliché, but she’ll like it. You got a ring?”

“Yup,” Hunk took a small velvet box out of his pocket, “Right here. The one and only.”

Lance was so shook, it was so elegant and pretty. A simple gold band with three small diamonds on it, “Wow, that’s pretty. Yeah, she’ll love it. If she doesn’t, I’m available.”

“Shay would adore it. You always make good choices, Hunk,” Allura smiled, pointing to the ring, “The box is lovely, too.”

Hunk closed the box and stuffed it in his pocket, “So, beach, champagne and her ring?”

The three of his friends nodded before feasting on dinner.

It made Lance ponder and think; how did he make such a bad decision yet the rest of his friends were happy and falling in love with good people? The only thing that made him happy was the ocean and diving. The beach surrounded one entire side of the city; however, the Marine Research Institute only worked on half of the beach side. He’d spent most of his time on that half to the point where he forgot what the other local side looked like. This gave him a chance to see it again. Maybe it’d be his escape.

-

Coming back home, Lauren was standing at the door when he opened it. He forgot the groceries. Fuck.

“Where are the groceries? Did you bring ice cream?” She _really_ craved ice cream right now and would kill a bitch for some.

Lance gulped, “Um, I forgot my wallet.”

“The one in your pocket?” She went out and put a hand where the outline of the wallet was in his pants.

“That’s my phone. I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

She put her other hand on the other side of his pants, “Isn’t this your phone?”

“Uh, I’m really tired, I’m gonna head to bed. See ya,” Lance ran off.

She glared at him, walking over to the kitchen to grab another pint. He went out with people, didn’t he?

-

When Saturday night rolled around, Lance drove to the local side of the beach, ignoring Lauren’s request to stay home. He needed to be there for Hunk, his bro.

Finding Allura and Pidge near a stand selling wine, they handed him a cup and he started to drink it. They pointed to Hunk and Shay sitting together in the sand with a blanket. Lance smiled, he was so happy for him. Hunk had accomplished so much and he wasn’t even in his late twenties yet. He was proud to call Hunk is friend.

Not wanting to bug him, Lance looked out on the water. The water was a bit dirtier on this side, but it wasn’t _that_ bad. A few other couples and friends were out here. It was nice. It wasn’t lonely like the other side. He sighed, enjoying the atmosphere, taking in the salty air.

He’d come back sooner or later. This side was nice.

-

Lance slept with Lauren that night. They didn’t fuck, but Lance was dead tired sleeping on the couch. If she didn’t leave a fucking dent in it, it’d be more comfortable. She grew irritable and whiny in these last few upcoming months. Lance didn’t even bother to consider her feelings.

She did everything she needed to do for the baby and he helped if she really needed it. Otherwise, he left her alone. She didn’t leave him alone, though. During his break from work, he’d come home and eat lunch. It was just a short walk over, so he did it every day. She found it fun to piss him off. Like today.

“Lance, you’re home. I made you a sandwich with pickles. You like pickles, right?”

“I guess.”

“Here,” She gave him a peanut butter sandwich with pickles in it.

One look at it and he threw it out, “I’m not dealing with this today. I just want a good lunch. I have a report to turn in today. It’s my last report before I go on parental leave.”

She grunted, “Fine. There’s a salad in the fridge.”

“I’m doing this for you and the baby. Can’t you be a little grateful?” He looked around in the fridge and started to dig into the salad.

“I have no one else to talk to. My friends think I’m just a pregnant mess and don’t want to hang out with me anymore,” She pouted, a hand flying to her stomach.

Lance sighed, “It isn’t a very good excuse, but I’ll take it. You shouldn’t treat me bad because you feel you bad. I don’t get mad very easily, y’know.”

“I know. Lance, I’m sorry,” She sat down on a kitchen stool, “I’m lonely.”

Lance couldn’t help but feel terrible, he kept leaving her alone to be, well, alone. He just gave her a side hug, “Maybe we can make this relationship work? Hmm?”

She smiled, “I think I’ll like that.”

“Why did you marry me, if I can ask?”

“You’re nice, you’re a happy guy. You don’t cheat or anything. I know I’m hovering over you, but I don’t know. I felt like you’d leave me otherwise. I don’t think I’m worthy of you.”

“We promised to talk to each other and we never did.”

“I’m sorry. I have another question.”

“What?”

“You aren’t straight, are you?”

“I’m not straight, Lauren.”

“I don’t like that. I have competition over you.”

“No one is looking at me and I’m not looking at anyone else.”

“Are you sure?”

“You don’t let me and I can’t. I can’t just leave you and pay child support. I bought this house for us. You used to make me so happy about growing our relationship. I have a question of my own. If you love me so much, why don’t you care about my feelings?”

“I did, but I guess I was just being selfish. I need you Lance. I can’t bother you anymore. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay. We just need to get ready for our baby. She’ll need us, right?”

“Yeah. You’re right.”

Lance left back to work right after that, waving to her with a smile; he was a little confused to why she was being so nice, but he took it with a grain of salt.

Lauren, on the other hand, felt guilty of everything. She went to a doctor’s appointment the day before and realized that she had a high chance of dying during birth. A genetic disorder in her family blood line caused it be high risk. Even if she were to get a C-section, she still would have a high chance dying. She never realized that life would end up so short and cold. She was jealous and envious, but it wouldn’t help anyone and she realized that.

She felt horrible terrorizing that delivery man… Just because Lance messed with him one time before getting with her, he ended up taking care of a baby alone and now her Lance was about to do the same.

They had a nursey set up and Lauren took it upon herself to fix the room by herself. Everything she had gotten over these past few months was all for the nursery. She couldn’t imagine what that delivery man felt like when he gave birth with absolutely nothing for his baby. She made sure Lance wasn’t allowed into the room for a reason; she wanted it to be a surprise and now he had one. It wasn’t a happy one, but she could at least make the room look inviting. Vibrant colors, pinks, blues, and yellows. She hired a few people to paint the room a warm, yet bright yellow. She hoped Lance liked it for the baby. It was the least she could do to help.

Walking towards a box in the middle of the room, she opened it, looking at all the stuff inside. Clothes, blankets, swaddles, toys, teething rings, a couple of things Lance’s mother sent along with her own mother. She didn’t have the heart to tell her own mother the news and she couldn’t tell Lance’s mother either; it would break their hearts.

Closing the box, she went into their shared room and sat at the desk. Pulling out a sheet of paper, she began to write a letter. If only Lance could forgive her.

-

About two weeks later, her water broke in the middle of the night. Lance held onto her tightly, appreciating how nice she was being. It was his turn to help her out with the baby.

Helping her up, Lance brought her a towel, “Looks like we’re getting our Christmas gift early.”

She couldn’t bring herself to laugh, so much guilt went around her heart and it hurt, “Let’s go to the hospital, okay? It’s going to be a long ways to get there.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Lance brought her a coat and warm boots. December was cold and the ocean didn’t help with the temperature at all. It made him want to go back to Cuba.

Bringing her to the car, he got the towel and set it on the seat before helping her in. Making sure she was okay, Lance drove all the way to the hospital.

Living near the ocean had its pros and cons, but it was far from the hospital. The hospital was on the other side of town. It was a small town, but still.

As soon as they made it there, they brought Lauren into a room until she was ready to start short, repeating contractions. Lance sat there with her, trying to calm her down. She wasn’t in the best mind set.

A few more hours passed before she couldn’t take it anymore and they rolled her away to give birth; Lance was told to stay put until everything was done. He was overcome with anxiety and fear. He started to think about a few things and about being a father.

Why was she acting so nice lately? Was it hormones? He gulped, trying to not think of negative things.

-

About an hour passed and Lance was getting worried. Soon it turned into two and a nurse came in.

“I hate to inform you, but your wife has passed away and we tried everything we could to save her.”

Lance felt like everything he had was stolen from him; everything he worked for, “W-What about my baby?”

“We were able to get her out and she’s just fine,” The nurse didn’t know what to do with this crying man, “Would you like to see her?”

Lance didn’t say anything, covering his face.

The nurse put a hand on his shoulder, “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

-

After about an hour of talking and filling out forms, he was handed his baby. She was beautiful. Heavy for a newborn, but she was still a beautiful baby girl. His wife died, but in return he had a baby to watch over. Sitting down, he looked over her delicate features, finding stuff coming from both of them.

It broke his heart; he had to be a single parent and watch over her all by himself. She was going to be without a mother and just left with a broken father. He took a deep breath, trying not to cry in front of her. He needed to be strong for her and be both parents. How was he going to break the news to his mother in Cuba? What about Lauren’s family? Would they hate him or the baby?

-

Coming home was hard. He was terrified.

Did she ruin the nursery? What did she do? Carefully bring her into their house, he walked into the nursery and saw it beautifully decorated. The crib was lovely and the yellow was beautiful. It felt like sunshine among all the snow and cold outside. He didn’t understand. It made no sense to him. Where did she get all of this stuff from?

He found a box in the middle of the floor and opened it, finding all of this baby stuff and a note folded up and labeled “For Lance.”

He opened the note and read it.

\--

_“Dear Lance,_

_My last doctor’s appointment finally determined that I would pass in any kind of birthing scenario. The baby would also be at risk, but I wanted the baby to be priority and I pushed it towards my doctor. I’m so sorry I didn’t have the heart to tell you. I ask a few things, though._

_I want you to name her. I don’t know what she looks like so I can’t give her a name that doesn’t fit her. You probably already have named her before reading this, but just making sure._

_I don’t know how my family might react, they were already mad because I married you, but just say that you’ll take good care of our baby and that you didn’t know. They’ll fight you for that baby. Don’t let her go. I beg of you._

_I don’t want you to think it’s your fault. It isn’t. Just take super good care of her. Please. I didn’t have a chance to tell you, but she’s just like you. So happy and energetic, you’ll love her. She loves oranges and hearing you talk._

_This letter is short, but I also want you to know something. If you find someone else you like or something, don’t be afraid or guilty of being with them. Make sure they love you back. You deserve all the love in the world. Don’t be afraid of asking for help._

_Tell her that I love her with all my heart. At first I was so mad that she was like you, but I realized how amazing that is. She will never be as lonely as I or you at this moment. Together, both of you are a guiding light. Keep her safe and I hope you forgive me._

_Love,_

_Lauren McClain._

_P.S. Tell the delivery man I’m sorry. I said so many terrible things to him. Go talk to him. He’s important to you and you didn’t realize it even once.”_

\--

Lance was shaking, tears falling down his face.

A sharp cry coming from the yellow crib broke Lance’s thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lauren was mean bc she was insanely jelly and envious bc lance had a child with the /rly/ fucking pretty delivery man and lance didn't even nOTICE
> 
> her fam wasn't happy with them marrying bc lauren's white and lance is y'know cuban and now her death proves to them (somehow???????????) that lance isn't good enough to watch over the baby
> 
> didn't like the chapter? i blame the author. it's bad writing  
> especially her death lol ikr it's such a mess worse than the terrible transition of keith with his mama going to find romelle in s6


	6. Undamaged

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is filler??? ig idk how to transition shit  
> kinda cute kinda depressing- literally

Keith sat on his bed, his baby sleeping in his arms. He’d never have it any other way; it was certainly tough, but he was happy. She wasn’t all sunshine, but she wasn’t a hassle or nuisance. He had a bad taste in his mouth, though; however, it wasn’t from guilt. He never felt guilty for anything that had to do with her, but her other father… something was wrong. He felt it. It wasn’t like he could do anything, but he had it up in his mind.

Submerged in his thoughts, he heard a small whine from Keiko; she saw his distress.

“I’m sorry for worrying you. Go back to sleep, okay?”

She did as told since she was so sleepy. He chuckled, looking up at his room. They didn’t have room or the money for a nursery, but it felt nice to know that even when she was sleeping, he was literally a few feet away. Despite having a crib right there, it comforted him to hold her. He didn’t feel alone, even when he didn’t have a boyfriend or spouse. Sure, he had Shiro, but he was always working with only a few days off.

He felt a bit lost without someone telling him what to do, but he usually figured it out. Keiko was happy, right? He looked down at her again, she was sleeping peacefully. He wanted her to grow up remembering how happy she was when she was a kid. He wanted her to have everything he never had.

He might’ve never had a real, whole, happy family, but someone always came around to aid him. His father was always there until he passed away and now he had Shiro. Shiro had never given up on him for some reason, despite all of his mistakes. Shiro never got mad when Keith said he didn’t want to go to college. Shiro never got upset at Keith coming out as gay and trans; he supported Keith all he could. That meant so much to him. Shiro took him in even when he was labeled as troubled. He took Keith to this city after so much backlash coming from everyone they knew. Keith was happy and now he had to do the same as Shiro to be the best to support his baby.

Morning came before he knew it and Keiko was squirming in his arms. She was up and he needed to know it. Waking up from his slumber, Keith looked down at his wiggling child. He laughed, picking her up and bring her to his face. Giving her a bunch of kisses, he put her in her crib and got dressed.

It was his day off and he wanted to go out with her, so that’s what he did. The park was his first option, but all the other people there would make her cry. He sighed, trying to think of something else. The library was fun, quiet, and they had books. She didn’t like books.

He started to feed her breakfast as he kept thinking of a place to take her, “Um, you wanna go to the beach?”

“Beich.”

“Beach.”

“Beac.”

“Beach.”

“Blech.”

“C’mon. Beach.”

“Beach.”

“There you go! You did it, baby.”

“Ba.”

He sighed; she still hadn’t called him “Mama” or “Dada.” All he heard was a series of “Ba.”

He was going to take her to the beach, but he realized something. It was getting close to her birthday which meant one thing. It was straight up cold. How did he forget? He groaned, Keiko throwing a piece of banana at him.

Laughing, he set that small piece of banana down and watched her eat said banana. He was just going to take her to the park. She may cry, but he could just take her in her stroller and go running down the many paths they had. He needed the exercise anyway.

Putting a jacket on her, Keiko just pouted; she didn’t like jackets. They were too hot and itchy. Keith wasn’t having it; she needed it or they weren’t going out. After convincing her with another piece of banana, she didn’t pull on the zipper on her jacket anymore.

The park was lonely today, but that was good news. He brought her to a swing and slowly put her in, getting her legs through the holes in the seat. Slowly moving her around a bit, she looked up at him in confusion. He laughed, pushing her slightly, “Isn’t this fun?”

“Ba!”

“Again with the ‘ba?’ When are you going to call me something else, huh?”

“Baba.”

“Baby, please. You’re supposed to say ‘Dada.’ You got that?”

“Da.”

“Dada. Can you do that for me?”

“Da… Da”

“Dada! You’re so close.”

“Dada.”

Keith was so happy, he picked her right up and hugged her tightly, “That’s right. I’m your ‘Dada.’”

He placed her back into the swing and pushed her gently. She giggled a few times before reaching out to Keith. He picked her up and set her on the ground. She wasn’t even a year old and she was already running. It kind of scared Keith, but there was nothing wrong with her, so he shrugged it off. She went around him in circles before running to the slide. Keith helped her up the stairs before leaving her at the top. Waiting at the bottom, he encouraged her to come down. She hesitated before sliding down into Keith’s arms.

They stayed at the park for about half an hour before going home to eat lunch. Keiko was in a good mood and happily ate her lunch. Keith was a little bit tired, but it was worth it. He needed to go to the park more often.

After eating lunch, Keith just let her do her own thing. She took a nap for an hour or two and then woke up to find Shiro and Keith talking at the kitchen table. Curious, she ran over. Shiro smiled as soon as he saw her. He picked her up, sitting her on the table.

Continuing his conversation with Keith, Keiko just copied him, saying a few babbles and a word or two. She didn’t get to see Uncle Shiro so often, but he was nice and offered hugs. Keith left to the bathroom and left Keiko with Shiro.

Shiro’s goal was trying to get Keiko to say his name, “Can you say my name, huh? Shiro?”

“Shio.”

“Shiro.”

“Shro.”

“Shiro.”

“Shio.”

“Shi-ro.”

“Shi… wo.”

“Good enough.”

“Shiwo.”

Her uncle laughed, hugging her before setting her down on the floor. Keith did not use the bathroom, in fact, he recorded that.

-

Lance wasn’t having the same feelings as Keith when he was given his baby. His own baby girl cried all the time and he didn’t know what was wrong. He still hadn’t told anyone about Lauren’s death either. The first thing he needed to do was try to figure out why she was crying and how to make her stop.

Holding her and rocking her didn’t work. Her diaper was clean. He tried feeding her formula and it didn’t work. He was becoming restless, bring her close to his chest. She soon fell asleep, too tired from crying. Lance used this opportunity to call his mother.

The phone rang a few times and he accepted the foreign prices over the line. After a while of waiting, his older sister picked up the phone, “Lance? Is that you? I haven’t heard from you ever since your wedding. How are things?”

“Bad. I need to talk to Mom, please put her on.”

“O-Oh. Okay, um, let me get her.”

A moment of silence was heard before a soft sigh was on the other side of the phone, “ _Mijo?_ Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“Mama? We had a baby, but Lauren died while having our baby. The baby is fine, but I need help. I don’t know what to do. I’m stuck with everything…”

“Oh, Lance. I’m so sorry. You’re my baby and I know it’s hard especially because your wife passed away. I’ll come over there. You can’t tell me no. You’re still my baby and you’re not going to be alone.”

“Mama, please, you don’t have to. Just tell me what to do.”

“No, I’m going. I’m leaving on the next flight. You stay put.”

“Thank you. I love you. Be safe. Come soon. She won’t stop crying and I’ve tried everything. She got so tired from crying that she’s asleep.”

“Talk to her, don’t let her know that you’re worried and sad.”

“I’ll try when she wakes up.”

When his mother ended the call, Lance just sat in the rocking chair that was in the nursery. He was still carrying her, not bothering to put her down. He relaxed against the mustard yellow pillow on the chair.

His baby kept looking up at him with her brown eyes. She didn’t babble, but she felt comfortable around him. He was so confused; was it because he wasn’t around Lauren while she was pregnant? Did his baby girl not know him? Was that the issue?

Lance grunted, looking off to the side; he was conflicted. Was his baby girl unfamiliar with him? He didn’t want to think about it. It was humiliating to even ponder and linger on the thought.

He’d just have to wait on his mama coming to help out. That was embarrassing to say the very least, but then he didn’t have Lauren helping out.

-

The very next day, early in the morning, he had five missed called from his mother. Oops. She was outside the front door, knocking for ten minutes. She really did go out on the first flight. He opened the door, leaving his baby in her crib; he was so tired.

His mother gave him an annoyed look, “Did you not sleep at all? Was she really crying all of this time?”

“Yeah, she was. She cried herself asleep again. You wanna go see her?”

She nodded, getting a good look of the house. It wasn’t any different than before. It felt like a bit of the energy died; she didn’t like it. Lance brought her to the nursery and sighed. His mother walked up to the crib, smiling almost immediately.

“What’s her name?”

“Cecilia.”

“That’s a great name. You’ve always been good at naming stuff.”

“She’s not stuff, Ma.”

“You’re treating her as such.”

“You’re supposed to take your baby everywhere you go. Maybe not the bathroom, but sometimes you have to.”

She instantly picked her up, Cecilia didn’t wake up, but she seemed a little more at ease, “ _Mijo_ , treat her like a princess. She’s just a little fussy right now. She knows her mother isn’t physically here with her right now. You have to be the mother _and_ the father. You don’t live with the rest of us in Cuba, we can’t help you.”

“Mama, I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel like I’m doing everything wrong. Yeah, I was able to help out my nieces and nephews, but this is _my_ baby. I wasn’t even supportive at all to my wife. I miss her, too. I wanna make it up to her, but it’s too late.”

“It’s never too late. The only way you can make it up to her is by raising this girl right and help her be the best she can be.”

“I can’t even take care of myself? Much less this beautiful girl I don’t deserve.”

“You need her. She needs you. You both need each other. She’ll help you out. You were a crazy baby, too. She got it from you. You got over it when you a few months older.”

“Ah.”

“C’mon, go get some more sleep, I got her.”

“No, Mama, you just got off a plane. Go sleep in ou- _my_ guestroom.”

“She’s my baby now.”

“I have to learn how to parent her. Now, go to the guestroom. It’s the least I can do for my mama.”

“Fine, fine. Call me if you need help, okay, _Mijo_?”

“Okay. Thank you, Mama.”

Lance stayed in his rocking chair, holding her up to his chest again. He hummed a song or two. She no longer had any tension in her body; he was so relieved. He rubbed her back, using that as his comfort.

-

After three weeks, his mother had to leave; he was so gloomy, but the rest of family needed her. Apparently, they were so close to destroying the house without her; he wasn’t surprised, but he was going to miss her dearly.

He went to the airport with her, carrying his little Cecilia with him. What his mother told him went well with her, so he always kept her words in his head. As soon as he saw the plane, he felt warm tears fall from his face.

After a few more months, he noticed something. She was always happy and smiling. Everything he did anything with her, she’d laugh. She’d shout or scream, everything ending with a fit of giggles. Lance had zero energy to do anything, but that alone encouraged him to move forward.

Most of the time, he forgets to eat and just feeds Cecilia. She just pointed the bottle back to him to remind him. Each and every time, he never did what he was told. She’d always look up at him, curious. He just respond with a sigh.

Work was getting harder and harder. He opted to stay in the research facility rather than go out on the water. He walked to work with Cecilia and walked back. It was a continuous cycle that to him, seemed pointless. He always did his best when it came to her and wasted all of his energy into her. Lance couldn’t get rid of the guilt built up inside.

Pidge, who worked right next to him, saw everything. He was depressed and his body was failing on him. She pushed him to see someone who can help him, but he couldn’t find himself trying to drive to a place like that. He needed to get up in the morning, feed Cecilia, go to work, change her diaper, feed her again, and continue working. Sometimes he barely had any motivation to go get food at the store. He only went on his days off and that was usually all he did.

Lance always looked good, but now he didn’t even bother. Lance’s skin was always perfect, but he was unshaven and bags formed under his blue eyes. They used to be filled with so much life and it was all gone. Cecilia was only a few months old, but she always tried to get Lance to smile.

Her own smile always made Lance at least hold a grin for a few seconds. That was his only sunshine in this miserable world; it might’ve been selfish for him to be so depressed, but he couldn’t change his feelings. He didn’t deserve her giggles and her kindness. She needed someone who could take care of themselves, watch over her, and play with her. He had neglected that. He didn’t mean to, but it was just too hard. He’d try and then give up.

He ended up in the same place, the rocking chair with the yellow pillow. Maybe it was time for something new. He brought her to his room instead and let her sleep with him on the same bed. His back didn’t hurt as much on it, but he smelled Lauren all over the sheets. He hadn’t bothered to wash them. He hadn’t slept in it for months now. Everything just hurt, but he needed to rest.

-

Lance needed to clear his head. Get lost and find a way back home, but sometimes there were consequences to that. He fucked that one dude after getting drunk and he had no idea where that man was now. He had a baby now, he couldn’t just get lost without her getting hurt. When he went on expeditions alone for his job, he felt free and in control of where he wanted to go. That’s what he wanted, but emotions where the same thing as a location.

He wanted to go to the beach. The warm sand under his toes. The waves gently singing. Springtime was almost over; he was about to get that chance. It’d be nice to have his baby girl explore more than just her living room and the lab.

The thought of being happy and leaving felt great, so he kept thinking about it. He’d love to take her to Cuba one day, meet her entire family. Her laughing while playing in the water and the sand. The water wasn’t as warm as in Cuba, but it was good enough. She’d love it. She loved everything.

One thing he didn’t love, however, was his wife’s family. They didn’t abandon Lauren or anything, but they constantly told her how much Lance sucked. He sometimes believed them, but he knew where the hatred stemmed from. He didn’t let their words bother him, but now they started to say things about his baby girl. His beautiful baby girl. Words she shouldn’t hear.

Since Lance didn’t exactly leave his house often, he called up a lawyer and got advice about how to handle verbal attacks from family members. If they ever got physical towards him and baby, he’d take it to court, but they never did. They were cowards like Lance expected, but it was annoying. Dealing with depression, a baby, and a family of racist southerners was a lot. He didn’t know how others could just live like that.

As a reward for calling the lawyer, he went to the beach on his next day off. Taking his baby girl with him helped a lot. She was still a baby and understanding things was hard, but she was still fascinated by the outdoors.

When they got to said beach, Lance found a few other families there. He tried to not think about his family in Cuba or the family he could’ve had here. _He_ was the one making their duo a family. He took out sunscreen, a blanket, and an umbrella. _This_ was _their_ beach date.

Despite being in a small tank top and shorts, Lance still managed to get sunscreen all over her. His baby wasn’t going to turn into a potato chip, all fried up. The blanket was nice and all, but she wasn’t curious about the sand. What kind of baby wasn’t into exploring things?

He scooped some up in his hands and placed it right in front of Cecilia. She started to put her hands in it. Watching it come out of her hands, she was intrigued. He snickered, feeling nostalgic, “Ceci, this is sand.”

He started to put his own hand in her tiny pile of sand. She gurgled, putting her hand on top of his. That melted his heart instantaneously, “I love you, too.”

After Cecilia became bored with the sand, Lance decided it would be nice to play in the water; he picked her up and slowly brought her to the shore. She screeched, the water was cold! Cecilia started to giggle again as she got used to it. Lance had the largest grin on his face. His baby was the cutest thing on this beach; her laughter was infectious.

Maybe the beach was his savior in all of this. He had never been this happy in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lance's mom helped to settle him down and that's it
> 
> don't fucking start yelling at me about "mijo" i get it- it's "mi hijo" i'm hispanic and ppl fucking say mijo kinda out of laziness and it's cute fuck offfffffff
> 
> idk where the city they live in is- it's on the atlantic coast??? ig i was thinking florida, but this city gets snow n shit  
> i wouldn't know- i'm from texas lol
> 
> lance has ppd and it sucks bc it's so hard to do anything lol  
> i wanted him to have ppd bc it's not rly shown in media that men have it  
> i wanted keith to be happy because in his situation, you'd think he'd suffer from it, but no, keiko makes him very happy and it's working out for him (he fits the single mother trope and technically, i wanna prove that they, too, can be happy)
> 
> okayyyy while writing this story, i've been listening to Tatsuro Yamashita's album Big Wave (1984)  
> lauren and lance's relationship is the song Jody from the album  
> take a listen  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J-SNMOcB5M
> 
> edit (7/5/2018):  
> the chapter got posted twice bc my wifi sucks  
> i deleted it


	7. Unmarred

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more filler lol  
> i'm getting to the plot soon

Lance’s friends knew something was wrong when he didn’t show up to Hunk and Shay’s wedding that summer. Despite the trips to the beach, Lance just couldn’t go. He couldn’t. He could support his best friend if he could barely take care of his child. He didn’t even tell Hunk that he wasn’t coming, but then he didn’t bother saying that he was coming in the first place.

A few days after their honeymoon, Hunk had to talk to Lance. What happened exactly? Hunk didn’t know. All he heard from Pidge was that Lance was depressed about his wife and his baby. Despite having depression, Hunk needed to explain something to him; it was important. He ended up driving all the way to Lance’s house to talk about it.

Having rang the doorbell about fifty times, Hunk sighed, calling Lance. Lance didn’t answer. He started to bang on the door, “LANCE, OPEN YOUR DOOR. IT’S HUNK. HEY!”

After five minutes, Lance finally came to door, “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Yeah, of course it’s me. Who else would come all the way up here? You live so isolated.”

“Do you need something?”

“Lance, please, can we talk?”

“I guess. Come in.”

Hunk walked in to find everything a mess; Lance usually was organized, so this was a bit scary. A few toys were on the living room floor, all spread out. Cecilia was sitting on the floor, a plastic teething ring in her mouth.

There was a blanket on the couch; Lance most likely was asleep on it right now. _That’s_ why Lance didn’t answer the door. Hunk sighed, sitting on the couch. Cecilia looked up at him, waving, “Ah!”

“Hey, baby,” Hunk replied to her call.

She giggled, slowly crawling up to Hunk. Raising her arms up at him. He picked her up, “Aren’t you a cutie?”

Cecilia didn’t stop grinning, happy to see this stranger. She was really interested in his headband, her little hands did not let go. He chuckled, letting her play with it. He looked at Lance who sat across from him.

He looked horrible; it looked like he aged about twenty more years. He hadn’t been eating either, he lost a good amount of weight. His aura was black, sucking in all of the energy around him. Hunk held his healthy, chubby baby girl; Lance used to be like her, making everyone laugh. No wonder Pidge was so worried; he didn’t believe her until today.

“What do you want to talk about?

“Lance, you’re not okay-“

Lance interrupted him, “Listen, I know I’m not okay. I’m trying my damn hardest. You wouldn’t know how hard it is. You just got married, you’re happy, and you two are going to have a lot of happy, healthy babies. I’m stuck all alone taking care of a piece of sunshine that doesn’t deserve me. You _don’t_ understand.”

“I wouldn’t understand, but I need you to talk to me.”

“Fine.”

“Everyone is so worried about you. We haven’t seen you around, and Pidge thinks you’re wasting away into nothing.”

“I’m not living. I’m just here to help my baby.”

“You’re a danger to her. You’re teaching her all of these bad habits and she’ll grow up to be just like you. You don’t want that, do you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“You need to get your act together.”

“Mom said that. To be the parent she needs the most, but it’s so hard. I-I can’t do it anymore.”

“You’re giving up on her.”

“I-I’m not. I’m-“

Hunk stopped him, “You are. She’s playing all by herself. All you’re doing is feeding her and changing her diaper.”

“Yeah, but that’s important.”

“It _is_ important, but being with her and loving her is almost as important. She hasn’t given up on you.”

“How do you know?”

“She’s always smiling.”

“And?”

“She’s trying to get you to smile.”

“What?”

Hunk raised her up from his lap and handed her to Lance. She still had Hunk’s headband in her hands, so he started to push the headband on Lance’s head now. Laughing, she began to pat the headband down, “Papa!”

Lance held his strained grin for a few seconds and she squealed. It hit Lance; Hunk was right.

“I see what you’re talking about now. She does it all the time”

“Of course she does. She loves you so much; she wants you to be happy. What’s her name anyway?”

“Cecilia.”

“That’s a really pretty name.”

After talking for about another hour, Lance felt kind of bad for letting Cecilia down all these months. He’d try harder to make her happy. Hunk was happy to get it through to Lance’s head. He wasn’t going to change anything about Lance’s guilt, but he felt it was necessary to get him on the right track.

“You’ll make her happy if she sees the rest of us. She’d might like to know the people who have her back, too.”

“That’d be a good idea. Maybe one day.”

“No. Not _one_ day. Tomorrow. It’s going to be Saturday. Everyone has free time and they really want to see you. It’s not the same without you around.”

“I’m not the same person.”

“And? We don’t expect you to be the same. It feels nice to have you around.”

“I don’t wanna bum everyone by just being there.”

“They’re going to be very happy. They miss you so much that they’ll be happy if you said ‘damn you’ and left.”

“If you pick us up, we’ll go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, you convinced me.”

“Get ready. Take a shower, shave, and dress her up. It’ll be their first time seeing her.”

“That’s a lot. I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Just try, okay? You don’t have to do it all.”

“Alright. It’ll take me a while, so I better get started.”

“Now?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll leave then. It’s fine. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 9 in the morning.”

Lance gulped; that was early, “I’ll set my alarm.”

-

Waking up from the ring of bell blaring in his ear, Lance got up. He was more motivated than ever to care about his appearance. He shaved yesterday and put an old mask he had on. Cecilia thought it was pretty funny to have such a thing on his face.

Getting dressed was a bit hard. He didn’t know what to wear; once again, no one told him anything about location. He wore some old dress pants and a button up. That was fine, but he was going to dress up his baby girl. The nursery had a bunch of saved up clothes, so he went and picked out something cute.

Being put in a yellow and pink dress, Cecilia kicked out at Lance. She had never worn a dress before. What was this? Squirming away from him, Lance pouted, trying to get her to calm down, “C’mon, Ceci. It isn’t going to hurt you.”

As soon as she settled down, a car horn was blaring out in the front. Lance quickly put shoes on her and ran out with her. Locking the front door, Lance headed towards his own car for her car seat. Bring that over to Hunk’s car, Hunk helped by opening the door. Getting all of that hooked up, Lance grabbed Cecilia from the porch and stuffed her in the seat. It wrinkled her little dress, but that was fine.

Lance was actually excited; he was going out to see his friends _and_ he got to bring Cecilia with him. The drive wasn’t too long or anything, but Cecilia didn’t like getting into a dress and forcibly taken away in a car.

They got off at Hunk’s restaurant which didn’t surprise Lance. Through the front window, Lance saw Pidge, Allura, and Shay. They seemed happy, but to Lance, it would be so incredibly awkward. How would they take to his baby? They like babies right?

Carrying Cecilia out of the car was fun because he now could hide behind her. It was confusing to say the very least for his friends. Sitting down with them relieved Lance. He didn’t feel as anxious as he was in the car.

Hunk quickly brought over a brown high chair for Cecilia. She giggled, finding it funny that a tall wooden chair was set right in front of her. Lance put her in and sat next to her. The surprised stares started to eat away at Lance now.

“She’s down right adorable,” Allura squealed, “She has your smile!”

“T-Thank you?” Lance flushed, “I never thought I’d ever hear that.”

“Don’t be silly, both of you are very attractive. She definitely got it from you.”

Pidge wasn’t surprised about the baby, but was more surprised by Lance, “I can’t believe you actually made it.”

“I’m surprised, too, but Hunk convinced me. Cecilia’s really happy right now, so I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“You must be Lance, right?” Shay interjected, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too. You’re Shay? Hunk’s lucky lady?” Lance was trying really hard to make conversation.

Shay nodded, “Your daughter is very lovely.”

“Thank you,” Lance turned back to Cecilia who was laughing from all the attention; she wasn’t used to it, but she liked it.

“How old is she?” Allura just had to ask.

Lance pondered about it for a second, “Around seven months old. She learns quickly.”

“I can teach her a few things when she’s older. It’ll be weird to be an aunt, but one day she could be smarter than me. I want credit for that,” Pidge joked, sipping down on some water.

Hunk finally pulled up a chair for himself and sat next to Shay, “I can teach her how to cook a few things. Build a few things, too, if she’s interested.”

“You guys want to do all of that just for her? That means so much to me. I bet it’ll mean just as much to her when she’s older,” All of this was warming up Lance’s heart; they cared so much. He didn’t understand. Did they pity him because he was doing all of this alone? Lance’s half smiled soon turned into a frown, “You guys aren’t just doing this because Lauren passed, right?”

They all were shocked, disbelief written all over their faces. Allura immediately stepped in, “Lance, please, we’d do it even if Lauren was around. We aren’t doing this because of that.”

Pidge followed, “We love you and Cecilia. We want to be a part of your lives. I’ve known you for so long and you mean a lot to me.”

“Even if Lauren was still around, do you think she would even take care of the baby?” Hunk didn’t want to say that, but… was it necessary?

That hit Lance in the gut. Hunk, once again, was right. The only reason why she was being nice was because she knew she was going to die. If she really loved him, she wouldn’t be the way she was. She was all mushy at first and then constantly jealous after their wedding. That wouldn’t be good for Cecilia to be around. Lauren would’ve been too jealous and arguing with that poor delivery man to even bother with Cecilia.

The lack of sound coming from Lance’s mouth was alarming. Hunk felt like he fucked up, “Sorry, Lance. I didn’t mean-“

“No, it’s fine. I understand. You’re right. It’s better if you guys help me out than her,” Lance felt irritated at the single thought. He went to Lauren’s funeral thinking it would be better if she was with him instead.

Cecilia started to reach out to Lance, noticing his distress again, “Papa!”

That always made him love Cecilia even more; she was so sweet. He sighed, “I’m fine, baby. Don’t worry about me.”

“You two are really connected, huh?” Pidge saw it all the time at work, but still. Their connection to each other’s feelings was tight and impressive.

After a while of talking, one of Hunk’s waiters brought out brunch. Lance hadn’t eaten like this in months. It felt nice to sit with friends and talk. He might do it again after today.

Being dropped off at home, Lance felt a bit better about his situation; he didn’t feel like he was doing this alone. He finally got Cecilia out of her dress and decided it was time for her nap. She fell asleep almost as soon as she was placed in the crib. Taken as inspiration, Lance decided to take one, too.

-

_He was woken up by Cecilia, jumping up and down on his chest. She looked older for some reason. Odd. She was talking, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying since he was groggy._

_After a few seconds, he finally heard her, “Papa, hurry. We made pancakes. Daddy put blueberries in them.”_

_Lance was so confused; who was “Daddy?” Why did she look older? It didn’t make sense to him. Cecilia wasn’t very happy with his confused expression, “Papa, what’s wrong? Get up already!”_

_Lance sat up, getting a good look of Cecilia, she was so cute and only maybe four to five years old. There was someone at the door. He couldn’t tell who they were, but it was a little kid only bit older than Cecilia. All Lance could tell was that he longed to see them._

_He got up and looked around the room. There were a few belongings that didn’t belong to Lauren or Lance. Cecilia ran off downstairs in a rush with the other kid as soon as Lance entered the bathroom. While sitting on the toilet, Lance kept thinking about all of these small details; he just accepted them. Considering that his baby girl was in pajamas, he didn’t change from his own. Leaving the bathroom and walking out into the hallway above the staircase, he saw that living room was fixed up like how he first had the house. Some kind of cartoon was playing on the television._

_Walking downstairs, he finally smelled the pancakes. They were sweet and buttery, warm maple syrup was lingering between his nostrils. He could tell they were just delicious and rich. Hearing the click clacks from the plate set and the chatter coming from the children, he could tell it was much different than what he knew. Lance was overcome with joy and contentment; would he be living like this for the rest of his life?_

_The kitchen was no different than before, but food wasn’t scarce. A tall man was digging in refrigerator for something. He shouted that he found was he looking for and came out. Turning to see Lance, he greeted him, “I thought I used up all the butter we had, but I found an extra stick. You want some, right?”_

_Lance stared, the man’s face was blurred like the other child that was in here. He stood there, not really believing his eyes._

_The man’s tone of voice changed to one of concern, “Are you okay? Are you tried? You can sleep some more if you want. I have batter left over. I can make you more later.”_

_“N-No, I’ll eat now.”_

_“Good, I thought you had a cold or something. You look pale.”_

_“I’m just a little tired from last night.”_

_“Last night? Yeah, I kinda suspected that. You really went at it. I’m actually a little tired myself.”_

_What? Lance was so confused. Did he have sex with this man? Lance tried not to make a face and sat down with the kids at the table. They were talking to each other, but Lance couldn’t hear what the blurred kid was saying. Cecilia was talking up a storm about the cartoon they were watching, though._

_The man set a plate full of fluffy, hot pancakes in front of Lance, “I hope you like these. I used Hunk’s recipe and I was scared they wouldn’t taste good because of that fact_ I _made them.”_

_“They look really good. I’m pretty sure you did a good job,” Lance added a dab of butter and some syrup and took a bite. They were as good as they smelled. Did he marry this man? If he did, he was lucky._

_“Are they good?” The man sat to Lance’s left, bringing his own fairly large pile of pancakes._

_Lance nodded, “They’re amazing. I haven’t had pancakes this good in years.”_

_“The girls helped out. They seemed to have a lot of fun,” The man chuckled before getting up, “I forgot to give you coffee.”_

_He went around to the coffee machine and pulled a mug out that had “Papa” written on it with crayon. Filling it to the brim, he placed the mug in front of Lance. Lance saw a silver wedding band on the man’s left hand. It was beautiful. Did he pick out the band itself?_

_The man spoke up again, “I know it isn’t Cuban coffee, but it’s all we had. We need to go to the store again.”_

_Lance sipped his coffee and sighed, “We’ll go tomorrow.”_

_The man laughed, “Okay, but don’t forget to write out a list. Now hurry and eat your pancakes before they get cold.”_

_Lance did as told, not stopping because the pancakes were_ that _good. The man ate his own large stack of pancakes in record time. Lance had no idea how in the world he did it, but he didn’t question it._

_When they the kids finished, they left their plates on the table and ran over to the television. The man reached out for Lance’s hand and fiddled with the wedding band Lance didn’t know he was wearing. It was identical to the one the man had._

_Lance didn’t say anything, but it felt nice. The man’s voice softened, “I don’t say it enough, but I love you. I love you as much as I did on our wedding day. Even when we first met, I really liked you. I should’ve given you my phone number from the start.”_

_Lance didn’t know what to say. What was this man feelings? Lance didn’t know. He wasn’t currently in love with anyone. Who was this man? He gulped, feeling incredibly nervous, “I remember it as if it was yesterday, the first time we met.”_

_“We recreated it last night.”_

_What the fuck was this man talking about? He kept glancing at the man’s small, calloused hands. They felt familiar, yet he just didn’t remember._

Lance’s vision soon started to fade when he heard crying. Bright lights entered his eyes and he was truly awake. His house felt cold, the bed was no longer warm. There were no pancakes and his comforter was in his mouth. Hearing the crying, Lance got up and went to the nursery, finding that his baby girl was still seven months old.

Lance had so many questions. Was his dream just everything he wanted? Was it the future?

And…

Who exactly was that man?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter will be longer lol  
> hc keith can cook, but he isn't the best  
> if he works hard on something, it's usually really good  
> NOT TRYING TO MAKE HIM A WIFE OR ANYTHING,,,, HE WOKE UP FIRST AND MADE BREAKFAST, LANCE CAN DO THE SAME,,,, DON'T @ ME
> 
> keith and lance will meet up soon, i have a lot more planned out in this story lol  
> i really want to finish this before school starts up again bc when school starts, i'll be super busy  
> i don't wanna rush it, but i don't want the story to be too slow ugh
> 
> this fic is the first one i've made in a while lol  
> the last ones i made were super long and useless; there wasn't a damn story
> 
> one was hetalia and the other was super smash bros geez i feel old


	8. Spotless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter sucks lol they meet up finally tho

Taking the salty air into his lungs, Lance exhaled it right out. The beach was great once again. It was a great investment of time and he felt energized afterward. The waves coming in with the tide always became a symbol for him. They’d crash, but there wasn’t anything wrong with that, they always came back to find the shore. That was his goal: to come back, not giving up. After the dream and the conversation, Lance had been working harder to become a better person. He needed to be the best so that he could raise his daughter to become even better. Based on the way she smiled and played with him, Lance could tell that she was legitimately content.

Coming to the beach was his form of therapy, the water understood him better than people did and he was an extrovert (that’s saying a lot). It showed a lot of who he was despite the fighting of his emotions. He came whenever he had the chance, Cecilia didn’t argue or fight; she loved it, too. He loved the way she came to play with the hermit crabs and take shells. He’d teach her the alphabet by writing in the sand and what certain things were.

When winter came, Lance couldn’t bring Cecilia to the beach anymore; his only form of therapy was gone. She was only a little more than a year old at this point and Lance had to be reminded of his wife’s passing; however, Lance was able to make it another year. He lived and his baby was thriving. He wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Every day that he didn’t go to the beach, he’d play with Cecilia in the living room, their small fireplace ablaze next to them. He was so proud of her, she already could say her ABC’s way before other children; it never surprised Lance. She always took in what Lance was saying anyway, it was how she knew Lance was hurting.

Every time Lance came to work, he’d greet Pidge with a smile and ask what they were going to work on that day. Pidge saw that as a clear improvement and made a mental note of it. She didn’t understand what happened to Lance, but he was something she could now work with. They weren’t compatible when he first came in depressed, but now he’d laugh at a dumb joke or snicker at a photo of a silly looking fish. She found it comforting, her older brother was slowly coming back. He wasn’t Matt, but he’d still make her smile anyway. She saw his little spark of life burn into something greater. He was living again and as a friend, it made Pidge proud to know him.

Lance wasn’t completely back to his happy, outgoing self, but he was better. He still didn’t eat as much or work out back into the ocean, but he was now doing the best that he can. He was actually able to call it that rather than just existing. Through a few phone calls with his mother from Christmas, even she could tell that he was happier and more focused. She was so happy to hear it; it meant the world to her that her youngest baby was doing better.

Two years went by and Lance still wasn’t the way he used to be. He felt lonely to even bother anymore. At least it was summer again and the ocean was calling. It asked how he was and what he planned on doing. The ocean longed for him, only awaiting a surprise.

-

Keith had a day off and he decided to do something new with Keiko. They went to the aquarium that was closer to downtown than the Marine Research Institute; that was two weeks ago and they hadn’t gone out since. It was hot and Keith didn’t want to be stuck inside a building for a crappy showing or a dumb exhibition at a museum. He wanted to relax and cool down, maybe take Shiro if he didn’t have a shift. Keiko didn’t really say anything about the places they went to. Despite being smart, she never really spoke unless she was trying out a new word or was really excited. She didn’t seem excited about any of these places.

Keith just thought it would be best to go to the beach. They hadn’t gone since last year with Shiro and… they were too late for the summer season. It was cold; his damn fear. This time they were going to go in the middle of summer. It was the entire damn point of a beach, to go and have fun. It wasn’t a place to freeze your ass off and that was Keith’s point to Keiko. She didn’t seem to respond as much as he hoped.

She’d play with him and Shiro, talking, but around other people she didn’t know, she’d cling to Keith. She was painfully shy and he didn’t know what to do about it. Even at the grocery store, she’d cling to Keith as if her life depended on it. If Keith left Keiko at home with Shiro, she was fine. He didn’t understand… was she just afraid of people? This wasn’t good. She’d be going to preschool soon and it scared him. What if she couldn’t communicate with other kids? What if she didn’t have any friends? What if she became like him and got into fights later on? The thought of it crushed him.

Keith tried everything he could to try to get her to talk to other kids. He’d take her to the park, go to kid friendly programs with other kids, he’d go to single parent-child conferences hoping she’d at least try to say hello at meetings. She’d still cling to Keith, making all the other parents stare at him. All the parents didn’t help and all the parenting videos online just said that it was a negative development. He talked to Shiro and her pediatrician, but they said not to worry about it. Oh, Keith definitely worried about it.

This was going to be their break with all of this parenting and work. He just wanted to relax and not worry about things like developmental signs. She didn’t seem to care about what others thought, all she wanted to do was draw and play house. The beach probably would bring bad memories, but Keith explained that everything changes and she accepted it.

He brought a few things with him for their small “day at the beach.” He brought a small cooler with water and cut up watermelon, sunscreen because both of them were pale, extra towels, sunglasses, and finally a shovel and pail. It was Keiko’s idea, she wanted to make a big sandcastle and collect shells. Preparing was all fun until it was time to pick out clothes to go out with. Keith was able to find a small one-piece that fit Keiko, but Keith himself was having trouble.

He wanted to go out in just swimming trunks like the rest of the guys out there. Keiko was already asking questions about his body and Keith simply didn’t know how to answer her. She asked why Keith had breasts unlike all the other men on television; it didn’t make sense to her, her father looked like a man, but what was with the tits? Keith started talking about being born in the wrong body and then she started to ask if she was born in the wrong body and then it started to get confusing- everything turned into gray matter. Keith didn’t mean for the conversation to be puzzling and she still saw Keith as her biological father, so it didn’t seem like a big deal. It started to become a big deal when she asked about who the _mother_ was. Keith just skipped the question and pretended it didn’t exist; however, _that_ was terrible parenting and he knew it. He would just have to tell her when she grew older.

A shirt would only have to suffice with the trucks because then people would judge and they already had a lot of that. They moved from one city to this one because of the judging and here they were again. His hair was in a messy bun, not bothering to make it fancy. He decided to give Keiko two little nice buns in return. She liked having her hair up, having thick hair like Keith caused a bit of a problem sometimes.

After confirming that Shiro wasn’t coming, Keith went out with Keiko. Their car ride was smooth, nothing terribly exciting happened and Keiko was drawing on a scratchpad with a crayon she left in the car from previous adventures. When the beach came into view, Keith pointed it out and Keiko just frowned. That was a lot of people. More people than the last time they came.

“Hey, Keiko,” Keith started to pull up into a parking spot not too far.

“Yeah?”

“Where do you wanna sit?”

“Not close to people.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know them.”

“You can get to know them, y’know.”

“I don’t want to.”

Keith sighed, getting out to grab the stuff and unlocking Keiko’s door. They walked together, roaming the beach until they found the perfect spot. It wasn’t the quietest, but there wasn’t as many people. A lot of the groups were surrounding each other and were towards the stands selling overpriced food and booze. Keith’s chopped watermelon was just fine, fuck the vendors. Keith set a few towels down and then pulled Keiko over to apply sunscreen. She did not like sunscreen, he learned that today.

Keiko went around their designated towel spot and picked up a few shells, naming each one after a Disney princess. It was funny, to be honest. Keith sighed, the beach wasn’t as fun as he thought. There was really nothing to do but swim and play in the sand. Every time he passed through the roads and glace at the beach, some dumb couple was getting married. There was nothing wrong with that, but still. It was cliché and not really helping his mood. Across on the other side of the beach was a wedding going on, too. Why did people have to get married in summer???

He sat there, pouting and frustrated; there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He wanted to get married and have a nice wedding on the beach. He almost longed for it, but all of his wishing would never come true at this rate and it was his doing; he never let people in and he didn’t look. It had been so many damn long years since he ever had been with anyone, it felt out of grasp. If he were to go on a date, what would happen to Keiko? He couldn’t leave her anywhere and Shiro could be working late. He hadn’t been on a date so long that he didn’t know how dates worked out for older folks. Being twenty-seven wasn’t old, but the dating world grew different and he knew it.

-

Lance had to move from one side of the beach to the other thanks to a wedding. He hated when he was forced to move. It didn’t make any sense, he was here first and no reservation for no damned beach could move him, but now, here he was, walking with his baby girl. She laughed the entire way, saying hello to all the strangers she walked by. It left a smile on everyone’s face including Lance’s.

The jungle of people was hard to walk through, but at the end, were a few comfortable spots away from people. Setting his own towel and umbrella down in the sand, he sat. Cecilia followed right away sitting next to him. She dumped her pail full of shells on the towel and looked at all of them. Lance saw her collection in awe, not even when he was a kid did he ever collect this many. He started to name a few types of shells she collected and mimicked what she was saying with her little baby intonation.

She picked up her favorite shell, a small abalone shell with a pearlescent sheen. She put it in Lance’s hand, “I like it.”

“It’s very pretty, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

And at that moment, she ran off, snatching it from Lance. Lance panicked, running after her. She found another father with a daughter and showed it to the other little girl. The father sitting nearby did absolutely nothing to stop her. Lance wanted to internally scream, he was almost embarrassed. He was shunned for not keeping her silent and was accused of being a bad parent for not keeping her under control. He stood still, hoping she would come back.

Cecilia started to talk to the girl about the shell she found, “Lookie! This is a pretty shell!”

The girl picked up the shell, examining it before handing it back to smaller girl, “That’s really pretty.”

The father sitting nearby was a little shocked and looked around for the parent of this small, little girl. He looked excited for some reason and tried his hardest to not break their conversation.

Cecilia laughed, “Keep it. You like it.”

“It’s your shell, I can’t keep this,” replied the girl.

“Okay, you have to play with me.”

The girl didn’t hesitate and stood up from sitting on the sand, “What d’ya wanna play?”

“I wanna make a sandcastle. Really big!” Cecilia started to jump in place.

“Okay,” the girl went to fetch her pail and brought it back to where Cecilia was.

Lance was oddly surprised, it wasn’t the first time Cecilia ran up to other kids and asked to play, but usually the kid’s parents didn’t want her to and then shamed Lance. This father was really excited now. He needed to meet that parent now, sheesh. Grabbing all of his stuff, Lance headed to where that man was.

Tapping the man’s shoulder, Lance gulped. This man had a bun _and_ really big muscles; Lance couldn’t piss him off now. The man turned around, “Are you her father?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I hope she didn’t bother you or your daughter.”

“No, no, please. Let them play. My daughter is so shy and has never wanted to play with anyone before.”

Lance was surprised, “May I sit with you then?”

“Of course.”

Setting up his beach towel station next to this man didn’t take too long and he sat next to him, “My name’s Lance, by the way.”

The man blinked a few times and grew red instantly, “K-Keith. That’s my name, I mean.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, never been better.”

Lance chuckled, “This is the first time I haven’t been yelled at by parents. She loves to play with others. Some parents call me a bad father because she runs off. I tried telling her no and she does it anyway. Maybe she’s too friendly for her own good.”

“Having the opposite issue is a little heartbreaking. I try so hard to get her to play and she doesn’t. I’m a bit scared she won’t have friends in the upcoming school year.”

“How old is she? My daughter’s three.”

“Keiko’s four.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

“My brother named her. What’s your daughter’s name?”

“Cecilia.”

“That’s elegant. I like it.”

“Hey, if they enjoy playing together, they should meet up again, right?”

“That sounds great. It’s called a playdate, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Maybe they can play and eat dinner. How about it?”

“Um, when?”

“When’s do you two have time?”

“Saturday?”

“Great, that’s my day off. This will be exciting.”

Keith internally panicked, this had never happened before and he didn’t expect this guy of all people to be involved. Lance, from that one time. He was here and didn’t remember him. It was a one night stand from almost five years ago, how could he remember? He didn’t blame Lance, but there really wasn’t another person in this small town named Keith. It was a happy event and day, yet Keith couldn’t bring himself to be completely happy.

He was going to go on fucking playdate of all things. Lance didn’t remember him. He didn’t know what to do. He sighed and took this as an opportunity. He could get Lance to fall in love with him, but maybe with sex. Sex wasn’t the main component like last time, but it was good. He couldn’t be clueless now with that other little girl around, so that was good news. Keith was so focused on his thoughts that he didn’t realize that Lance was talking.

“Keith, since we’re going to be around each other a lot, I might as well get to know you.”

“You’re right. Uh, what’s your favorite food?”

“Garlic knots. What about you?”

“Anything I can get in a hurry. Anything will taste good if you eat it fast.”

“Even bugs and scorpions? You’re edgy.”

“If it’s the only thing available then I might as well, huh?”

Keith opened up his cooler and offered Lance a bottle of water. Lance took it, thanking him for it and drank from the bottle; it was so refreshing and cold. He smiled, “You’re nice.”

“What?” Keith was so confused.

Lance looked at the label on the water bottle, avoiding Keith’s gaze, “Nothing. Nothing.”

“Oh,” Keith grew awkward, “Um, so, what do you do for a living?”

“I work at the Marine Research Institute up on the private sector of the beach. I’m a marine biologist. It’s pretty cool. I get to see funny looking fish all the time. What do you do?”

“I, um, deliver for a small company not too far away from here.”

“Cool, you’re not really a tourist or a college student.”

“I’m clearly _way_ too old to be a college student!”

Lance shrugged, “There are a few people, y’know. You don’t look _that_ old. You don’t have a single gray or white hair. Consider yourself lucky.”

The man pouted, Keith was in disbelief, “You’re checking me out, huh?”

“M-Maybe. What is it to you?” Lance was caught red-handed! Abort! Abort! He started to chug the water down.

It made Keith laugh, “It’s the beach. Everyone does it. You’re not bad looking yourself.” He coughed that last part out. Was this flirting????

“Oh, I see how it is,” Lance moved a little closer, “We’re just going to see how this will work out. Kids first.”

“I’m not stupid, I know that. It’s them before the likes of you.”

“Is this too fast? Oh gosh, sorry.”

Keith just shut down; what the fuck? They were supposed to be strangers and now here they were only a few minutes later flirting. Fuck. Did Lance secretly remember?

“I hate to ask you this, but haven’t I seen you before?”

“No, you’re a new face. A nice face, but still new.”

“Alright. I must be seeing things,” Keith pushed it off as a joke and halfheartedly laughed. He looked back at both of the girls and smiled once more. Keiko was laughing and actually playing. How in the world was his daughter so open to her? Maybe she was charmed by those same genes.

“I think things just might work out,” Lance snickered, “Once Cecilia gets another kid to laugh, it’s already a friendship.”

That made Keith happy to hear, she had a nice father, and made friends with Keiko, too. Maybe starting from scratch wasn’t so bad.

-

Leaving was a sad time, but as soon as Keith and Keiko went to the car, she started to talk about how much fun she had. Keith was so happy, maybe she’d be able to make more friends later on, too. In the back seat of the car, Keiko was looking at her own shell collection. It wasn’t too big, but it was enough to make her joyful. He couldn’t wait to tell Shiro about everything. He already kind of did, but this meant more to him than anything. A single phone number on his cellphone made his fucking day.

Sitting down at the kitchen table after Keiko went to sleep that night, Keith waited for Shiro to come home. He had no one else to tell this about, but he needed to get it off his chest or he wouldn’t sleep. As soon as the kitchen door opened, Keith started to ramble.

“Shiro, when we went to the beach, I saw that dude I met at the bar five years ago.”

“Whoa, slow down. I just got off my shift.”

Shiro sat down and was a bit confused by Keith’s excitement, “Okay, so you met a guy a long time ago and you met him again? That’s exciting because?”

“His daughter is now friends with Keiko. She’s talking to others now! I never thought this would happen. He gave me his phone number, too. I should’ve gotten it the first time I met him.”

“Do you like this man?”

“He’s Keiko’s father. Of course I do.”

“That completely changes things,” Shiro almost choked on his own spit, “Do you plan on meeting with him soon? Does he know that Keiko’s his?”

“We plan on a playdate Saturday and no. He doesn’t… remember me. I don’t want to come off as crazy and then I can’t see him again.”

Shiro just sighed, “Good luck bringing it up. Is he married? You said he had a kid.”

Keith paused. That crazy lady was his wife, but she wasn’t around. She hadn’t bought a single package since almost three years ago…. Oh… He didn’t want to think about it, “I don’t know anymore.”

“Anymore?”

“Night Shiro, get ready for your shift tomorrow. I need to get ready for mine,” Keith went to his room to find Keiko asleep in his bed. He sighed, getting into bed with her. It didn’t make sense. He never thought about it before. Why wasn’t Lance with her? Did he finally file papers for divorce? He hadn’t seen her since she was pregnant… Did she pass away during labor?

He didn’t sleep well that night.

-

Lance only anticipated Saturday; it didn’t come fast enough. It’d make both him and Cecilia happy. He just needed to clean the house first… That was a challenge to say the very least. He hadn’t given the house a good deep clean since before Lauren gave birth, but now he was considering it. It was a safety hazard towards Cecilia and himself.

Friday afternoon after work, Lance started to clean. He swept and mopped all of the floors in the house and threw bags and bags of trash away. Cecilia was so confused; what in the world was he doing? He said it was cleaning, but did cleaning need that much work and effort?

“Papa,” she followed him out onto the front yard where the trash cans were, “I wanna help you clean.”

Lance smiled, “Here, I’ll give you an easy job. I need you to put all of your toys where they belong in your room. Can you do that for me?”

She nodded and ran inside the house, picking up toy after toy. It didn’t seem like too much work, but she moved all the toys from around the house into her room. Once she did that, she started to put the toys in the right bins; they were all labeled. By the time she finished, Lance was finally done with the main rooms of the house. He needed to clean the bathrooms and then his bedroom.

He pulled out some discounted Fabuloso and bleach and went at it. Cecilia passed by the bathroom and saw Lance cleaning every single nook and cranny. She saw him clean the house before, but never to this extent. She laughed before heading downstairs. Because she was done, she rewarded herself with some television time; it was Lance’s idea really. About a few hours later, Lance was finally finished cleaning the entire house. He was so proud of himself. He cleaned a few things to be sanitary, but he wanted to impress Keith when he came over.

Now, he needed to find a recipe to make. He offered Keith and his daughter dinner, but he didn’t know what to make. He kept thinking, looking around his pantry. Nothing. He needed to go to the store tomorrow. Back home, his mom would cook everything and _sometimes_ he would help, but she usually finished before anyone could help. Recipes were nonexistent; it was an art, not a science. It was either chicken and yellow rice or pasta. He still had spices around everything… maybe chicken and yellow rice. Pasta seemed too fancy for little girls and a guy with huge biceps.

Lance started to get the spices he needed out from the spice rack and started to write out a list of what he needed to make it. He used up his last packet of chicken yesterday and ate up the rice last week when they made stir fry. He started to debate on whether he needed to buy olives. Cecilia didn’t like olives too much so he didn’t expect Keith’s daughter to like them either. Did Keith like olives? Most likely not.

Tomorrow morning, he’d go a pick up everything on his list. This would be exciting.

-

Keith got up early Saturday morning with a plan. He was going to bring something to the dinner whether Lance wanted it or not. That’s what people did on playdates and dinner, right? He didn’t go to many social gatherings, but people brought food usually, right? What would be good to bring to dinner? Dessert? Yeah, but he didn’t know how to make anything fancy and from scratch. He didn’t want to bring something store bought… Lance was making dinner…

He sat at his kitchen table eating breakfast while thinking. Shiro said his greeting and his farewell as he went to work. Everything was normal… What was a normal dessert? Cookies? Chocolate chip cookies? Perfect. He ran to his room and woke Keiko up to start making said cookies. She’ll have to learn how to make them from scratch, too, so this was the perfect opportunity to learn together.

As Keiko was sitting down and eating cereal, Keith started to do some research and he saw a Tasty video explaining how to make the _perfect_ chocolate chip cookies. He started to pull out some of the ingredients from the kitchen and measured them out. Surprisingly, he had everything- even espresso powder and dark chocolate. Keiko watched as Keith prepped and chopped and did everything else. It seemed easy, but was it?

After everything was said and done, Keith brought out a step stool and got Keiko on it. Seeing everything up close and personal was much better than guessing what Keith was doing. He started to sift both flours in a bowl and handed it to Keiko and she started to stir with a whisk. Keith stared down at his cubed butter; he didn’t want to burn the butter or anything else. Brown butter seemed tedious, but trying wouldn’t hurt.

“Daddy, what are you doing?”

“I’m making brown butter.”

“I thought butter was yellow.”

“It is, but this recipe calls for brown butter. You make it by heating it until it’s brown and there brown bits at the bottom of the pan.”

“Isn’t that burned butter?”

“Not if I’m careful.”

Keiko made a face; Keith wasn’t exactly the best at cooking… he didn’t bake much either. She continued to stir, but ignored the salt and baking soda. As soon as Keith thought he had the brown butter ready, he set it aside and pulled out another bowl. He got Keiko to put the sugars and the vanilla extract in. As she gave it a mix, Keith added espresso powder and hoped for the best; he deemed it sketchy.

As the small room filled with the aroma of cookie batter, Keith decided to slip a piece of chocolate and Keiko did the same. Tasty as it was, it wouldn’t be better than these cookies. While Keiko was stirring the sugar mixture, Keith finally added the brown butter and eggs. Now _that_ smelled good.

Keith added the flours into the sugar mixture and then the salt and baking soda. It reacts fast, so based on time, he added it now. One of his chemistry professors taught him that actually. Removing the whisk, Keith replaced it with a spatula and Keiko added the chocolate. Pleased with their efforts, Keith dumped it in the fridge and thought it would be best if it chilled. Keiko wanted a pre-playdate cookie, but no. Keith wasn’t having it.

“Wouldn’t it be easier if you put it on a tray and put it in the fridge?”

“There isn’t enough space in the fridge.”

“Good luck.”

“What?”

Keiko washed her hands in the kitchen sink and left to their bedroom to draw. It left Keith confused; what did she mean? Two hours later, it hit him. The dough was so fucking hard and he had trouble scooping it out. It had to be the butter, right?

After stuffing the tray into the oven, Keith waited, getting a gallon sandwich bag ready. It would’ve been nicer if he had a box to put them in, but alas he did not. Keiko went up to Keith to show him her drawing, but she saw the cookies in the oven and go distracted, “Can I have one when they come out?”

“Maybe. We’ll see. We’re going to eat later, remember?”

“I’ll trade my drawing for a cookie.”

“Half?”

“Fine.”

“Good. I want them to have some cookies, too.”

“But we made them.”

“They’re making dinner, it’s the least we can do.”

Keiko pouted, sticking her drawing on the fridge. Keith spoke up, “Get dressed, we’re leaving soon.”

“Okay,” she replied. She ran back into the bedroom and started to change. He hoped it was a nice outfit; four-year-olds had little restraint. He needed to get dressed, too; he almost forgot. When the cookies were done, he put them aside to cool and went into his room. Keiko was sitting on his bed as he looked in his closet. The outfit she picked was nice, so he needed to up his game. Wearing t-shirts and jeans weren’t going to save him forever. He ended up wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a jacket. Huh. Creative.

As both of them went into the kitchen, Keith put the cookies into the sandwich bag and opened the back door. Keiko nagged about the cookie she wanted, but she was going to have to wait until they were in the car. Off onto the street, Keith split a cookie in half and gave the other half to Keiko. She was overjoyed with the cookie and so was Keith. Hopefully Cecilia and Lance would like them, too.

After a few minutes of silence, Keiko had an idea, “Let’s make a cake!”

“That might be a little too hard, don’t ya think?”

“We can buy the cake stuff, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want you eating that.”

“Why not?”

“They put stuff little kids shouldn’t eat.”

“I thought it was just flour and sugar.”

“No, they put stuff that bakers don’t even use.”

“Like what?”

“Preservatives.”

“What’s that?”

“Stuff they put in the cake mix that makes it last a long time. It isn’t natural for it to last a long time.”

“What about my birthday cakes?”

“I get those from a bakery to make sure it’s actually edible and they’re much tastier than a store bought cake mix.”

“True.”

“For that, I think we might try it out. Uncle Shiro might wanna try it.”

“It’s easy to make you say yes.”

“Did I hear that?”

“No.”

Keith laughed, turning into Lance’s driveway, “Are you excited? You get to play with Cecilia all the way until dinner.”

“Yeah. I don’t have to be with you all day,” She was blunt, getting out of her car seat, “Unlock the door.”

“When we leave later, I want you to thank Mr. Lance for having us,” Keith unlocked the door and got off.

She didn’t say a word and went up to the door with Keith. Keiko wasn’t nervous, but her father was and she knew it. She didn’t realize it at the time, but something was off. Her father was not the type of person to get blush-y and red over a person. Cecilia’s father didn’t look very special. A tall, Dorito-shaped man??? Nothing fancy about him. She sighed, looking up at the house. Her father seemed to know the place even when Lance didn’t tell him the address. She noticed while she looked over the test messages between them; she didn’t mean to look, okay she did.

Keith held the bag of homemade cookies in his arms and rang the doorbell a few times. Pitter-patter of large and small feet met the door and Lance, very cheerfully opened the door. The taller man let them in and they decided to chat. When the parent-daughter duo entered, Keiko ran off with Cecilia into another part of the house. Keith wasn’t sure to be excited or concerned. What secrets did that crazy lady leave behind?

“You have a nice house,” Keith noticed how clean the floors were. His were never this clean. He could already hear Shiro nagging in his head. That reminded him to bring at least one cookie for him.

Lance laughed, “When I first bought this house, it was cheaper than the rest down below because it was rumored to be haunted. I hate ghosts, but I don’t think anything’s really here. I say I got a great deal.”

“I hate asking, but do you live alone?” Keith could feel the sweat accumulating in his hands.

Lance felt sick, “Uh, yeah, my wife passed away when Cecilia was born. Too many complications. I’m just happy that Cecilia’s okay.”

“Oh,” Keith didn’t know how to reply. He didn’t want to hear that answer.

“S-So, I see you brought cookies!” Lance pointed to the bag in Keith’s arms.

The man nodded, “Yeah, Keiko and I made them this morning. I thought they’d be for dessert.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s great. I’m going to make some chicken and rice. It’s my mom’s recipe,” Lance chuckled, “Do you wanna chat while they play?”

“Sure,” Keith shrugged. How does small talk work?

“Sit, please,” He pointed to the living room on the right.

Following as Lance said, Keith sat, watching as Lance took the bag of cookies to the kitchen. They were clearly interested in each other, but it was hard to get make this more comfortable.

“What are the kids doing?” Keith didn’t know where his baby was.

Lance thought about it for a second, “They’re in Cecilia’s room most likely coloring. If not, most likely some princess thing.”

“That’s cute.”

“I know, right?”

Maybe this playdate won’t be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i used up all my motivation for this fic   
> oof  
> tasty's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEdl2Uetpvo  
> what i listened to on repeat while writing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6BbzSQO4Uo
> 
> i heard that some recipes for cuban arroz con pollo use olives, but the recipes in spanish say otherwise so idk lol
> 
> lance and keith don't know how playdates work lol 
> 
> i was busy so this chap came out way later than the others  
> i also finished watching ranma 1/2 and i was so fucking sad about that ending  
> ranma and akane remind me of klance in a way, both stubborn fucks   
> thinking about writing an au off of them or urusei yatsura, but i'm tired?????
> 
> excited about s7!!!!! i didn't see the full episode, but i saw the clips people have been posting  
> curious about the time skip thing???? if the quintessence field caused them to be mia for a long time, what about coran and the castle??? they weren't going in the field and time didn't skip for them???? that's confusing???????


	9. Unparalleled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's filler bitch  
> idk where the promised smut is  
> blame the author pls

After playing for a while, the girls came out to the living room. They were surprised that Keith was still here. Playdates usually involve dropping the kid off and they both saw it in cartoons. That was odd. To the girls, it seemed like the adults were talking boring adult stuff. They both stood there for a second or two, watching, but they came to the real conclusion that they both sucked at small talk. Determining that it was lame, they went back into Cecilia’s room.

Lance finally stood up from the couch, “I need to get dinner started. You can relax, but if you wanna help me, you definitely can.”

“I’ll help,” Keith also stood up, “We can talk some more while we cook.”

Lance nodded, leading the way to the kitchen. He had everything out, but he needed to actually make it. He hadn’t done this in a while. Pulling up the instructions, he showed them to Keith. Lance pouted, he didn’t really want thighs, wings, and whatever in the rice, but Keith determined that.

“Hey, uh, do you want the entire chicken in here or just the breast? The entire chicken has flavor, but the breast is a little better when surrounded by rice.”

“Whatever you want. I just don’t want to hinder you. Whatever is easiest, you don’t have to be all fancy and whatever,” Keith gulped, he seriously didn’t want to fuck up dinner and it’d end up being his fault.

The adult shrugged, “I have chicken breasts and it’s easier than cooking the entire chicken. Also, do you want red bell peppers? Ceci doesn’t like them, but I don’t know what you guys like.”

“Keiko doesn’t like them either,” He laughed, “Kids, I swear. They’re always so picky.”

“True, I tried adding sprinkles to Brussel sprouts and she couldn’t put it in her mouth. I heard sprinkles always worked in getting kids to eat, but apparently not.”

“I don’t like those. They’re so bitter. Seasoning doesn’t help,” Keith wanted to gag from the thought of Brussel sprouts.

Lance gave him a look, “You’re a child.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re picky.”

“If I’m older than you, I am _not_ a child. I’m twenty-seven.”

Lance scoffed, “Just because you’re older by a year doesn’t mean anything. You’re still a child for being picky. It’s just a vegetable.”

“You didn’t want to cook the rest of the chicken because you don’t like dark meat. I’d call that picky.”

“Hey! At least I asked you. My mom used the entire chicken a lot and I’m just sick of it.”

“Sure, dude. Sure. Just hurry up and cook the breast already.”

After removing the chicken from the pot when it was finished cooking, they added everything else. Leaving the rice to cook, the two men lounged around the kitchen. Keith kept staring at Lance as he opened the lid of the pot a few times to check it. Lance’s casual blue button up had the sleeves rolled up; his forearms looked good. He had a few of the buttons undone and Keith tried to not be so awkward about it. Lance seemed calm, but he kept drinking glass after glass of water. The kitchen wasn’t too hot, but Lance could’ve been one of those people who drink a lot of water for “health.” Keith wasn’t so sure, though; Lance was cooking chicken and rice and was happy about the cookies. He was surprised about the lack of salad.

Lance was having a fit internally. Keith was this hot dude in a comfy looking hoodie and a form fitting shirt. He could see this dude’s muscles through the damned shirt. Why did he come with tight jeans????? Trying to keep occupied, he kept checking the rice, but Keith was staring. Why in the world would Keith purposely staring at him??? Burning up, Lance kept drinking water. Why wasn’t Keith saying anything? Was he mad? Did he not want to be here? Lance hadn’t crushed on anyone this hard in years. Keith was so pretty, but sometimes unreadable.

“It’ll be a while before the rice is done,” Lance took one last glance at the rice.

Keith shrugged, “Yeah, I guess. Wanna cookie? The girls don’t have to know.”

Lance nodded, going back to the island and opening the bag of cookies. He grabbed one before handing Keith the bag. He took a bite, hoping it would distract him, too. That was seriously a good cookie. He finished the cookie and turned to Keith who was also eating a cookie. They both nodded in agreement, the girls didn’t need to know.

After about thirty minutes, the rice was done and Lance put the chicken back in with frozen peas. Letting it heat up again, he turned to Keith, “I should go call the girls. Dinner should be ready in like five minutes.”

“I’ll check up on the rice while you go,” Keith grabbed the pot’s lid from Lance, “It smells good, they should like it.”

Lance went into the hallway in search for the girls. They were still young, so he was worried about mischief; however, he just heard giggling from Cecilia’s room. He opened the door to find them playing with a Barbie, stuffed cat, and a Voltron figure. He had no idea what they were playing, but at this point, it didn’t matter. The girls looked up at him and stopped; Lance had just interrupted them and it was a big deal. They were in the middle of fighting the evil Barbie.

“Girls, it’s almost time for dinner. Get ready and wash your hands before you two eat, okay?” Lance felt like an outcast at the moment, “Mr. Keith and I have been working on this recipe. It’s really good, I promise.”

“Okay,” they both said in unison.

Walking out of the room, he left the door open and headed back to kitchen. Lance couldn’t put his finger on it, but that other girl looked familiar. He had never seen her before, he was sure, but he didn’t understand… He saw Keith turning off the burner and assumed it was already hot. He went into the fridge and asked what Keith wanted to drink. The guy had the audacity to shrug. To Lance, that was definitely frustrating. Fine then. He was pulling out lemon infused water.

Lance started to set up plates and cups in the dining room. He didn’t really use the dining room because there was no one to dine with, but now there was two extra to their family today. He decided to let the girls sit next to each other and he’d sit next to Keith. Nothing wrong with that, but it’d be a little weird to sit next to him. Bringing the cold pitcher from the kitchen, he started to pour some of the water into the cups. Keith came over into the dining room and was surprised by how nice and clean it was… It was almost as if Lance and Cecilia didn’t use the house.

“Uh, should I bring the pot?”        

“Yeah, sure. The pot holders are hanging on the wall.”

Keith nodded and went to fetch the pot. Coming back into the dining room, he started to serve the chicken and rice onto the plates. He made smaller portions for the girls, of course. As soon as he was finished, the girls ran in. Cecilia was confused. Why were they eating here?

She walked up to Lance and pulled on his pant leg, “Papa, we never use this room. Why are we using it?”

“It’s a dining room. We’re going to dine here.”

“But-“

“It’s for tonight. It’s special.”

“O-Okay…”

Keiko watched in amusement, knowing what was going on. She didn’t want to say anything, though. Keith knew what was on her mind and hoped she’d stay silent about it. Everyone sat in their respective place and started eating. The girls were giggling about something while eating and Keith tried not to stare. He usually never got to see his baby like that. She was engaging in a conversation and laughing. She did that sometimes with Keith, but she’d never talk to him this much. Was he doing something wrong?

Besides eating, it was the only other thing eating away at him. Lance caught wind of this and tried to cheer him up a little by changing the topic on his mind. He pointed to the chicken and rice, “It’s good, isn’t it? I think we did great together.”

“It’s great, we do work well together, huh?” He couldn’t help but smile at Lance’s voice of concern.

“We should do this again. It’d be nice to make something else with you.”

Keith didn’t know what to say; he paused before replying, “Okay.”

They were supposed to be just parent friends, but it was getting a little out of hand now. It was clear to the girls immediately that they were into each other. That’s exactly what they were laughing about. In Cecilia’s room; they came up with a plan. They both wanted to be playmate buddies for an eternity, so they needed to be sisters. The only way to do that is by getting their parents to like each other. So far, the idea was working, but they hadn’t done anything yet.

After dinner and eating cookies, it was time for Keith and Keiko to leave. Keiko didn’t want to leave, but they needed to sleep. Driving home was boring, but the radio’s tunes kept them going. As soon as they were entering the house from the back, Shiro started to pull in with his own car. Keith waved at him before going inside; he only closed the screen door for him. Keiko went into their bedroom while Keith stayed behind. He needed… advice from Shiro. Or well, kind of. He set the gallon sandwich from before onto the kitchen table and opened it, eating one of the cookies. There was only one more left and it was for Shiro.

His older brother walked in and locked the back door. He was immensely tired from his shift, but as soon as Keith handed a cookie to him, he lit up. Munching away on it, he noticed Keith’s general behavior. He was on edge with a pinch of anxiousness. What a recipe for disaster. Shiro ate the last bit of his cookie before speaking up, “Are you okay?”

“I could be doing better,” Keith sighed, “I like him too much. He’s really nice and we cooked dinner together.”

“What do you plan on doing about it?”

“That’s the thing; I don’t know. I think he likes me back, but I’m not sure if I should just step in or should I let it go naturally. I’m not good at this and I want this to work. One day, I want to tell Keiko that Lance is her _real_ father. I’m not just doing this for me. I don’t want to tell her when she’s older that Lance is her father. She might actually hate me for that.”

“His name is Lance, huh? Well, don’t worry too much about it, just know that if Lance wants to continue this weird relationship you two got going on, he wouldn’t have planned on another playdate. He did plan another one, right?”

“Yeah, he did. I feel like he was trying to impress me and whatever. He was trying way too hard; do you think he knows about Keiko? Is he gonna plan to take her from me?”

“You’re thinking about this too hard. I don’t think he knows. Keiko looks way too much like you for him to figure it out. He’s single and most likely doesn’t plan on taking her. It’s a lot of work for a one man. It’s already hard raising one kid and _you_ of all people would know that.”

Keith pouted, “I hate saying you’re right, but you’re right. We have a playdate at the park on Saturday again. That reminds me, we need to be groceries. Let’s go tomorrow.”

“Okay, but just wake me up, I’m so tired,” He yawned, “I’m thinking of changing fields or retiring. Student debt has to pay itself somehow, though.”

“Night, Shiro. I’ll wake you up at noon,” Keith went into his own room to find Keiko asleep again. She looked tired, but definitely happy. He was content that she had fun today and that was all that really mattered.

Morning came not too long after and Keith got dressed with Keiko. Eating breakfast and watching the news, Keith kept thinking about Lance’s smile. It didn’t look any different than from the first time they met. He was so overjoyed to see it once more. So lost in his thoughts, Keith didn’t realize he added Sriracha to his cereal. Keiko purposely didn’t say anything, but soon started laughing. If only he had realized his mistake earlier.

Throwing the bowl into the sink, he fetched out a clean one and put almond milk in it and zero hot sauce. He was disheartened that his daughter said absolutely nothing. Pouting, Keith sat back down, giving her a look of disappointment, “You could’ve told me, you know.”

“Nah. It’s funny.”

“Rude.”

She laughed some more before finishing her cereal. Keith ignored it, eating his “clean” cereal. He really needed to get groceries, though. There wasn’t a single vegetable left. It was only ten, but it felt like noon was so far away. He dumped his second bowl of cereal in the sink and took Keiko’s bowl, too. Leaving the table, Keiko went and changed the news to Voltron. Keith didn’t understand that show; he didn’t bother asking her about it either.

Not having anything else to do, Keith started to wash the dishes. It was such a mundane thing to do and he didn’t really see himself doing this with a kid watching television in the next room. It had been a while since he ever thought about it, but Lance actually wanted this life based on him getting married and having a daughter. If he had married Lance instead, would he be into having kids? How many kids would they have? Would they adopt? It bugged Keith a bit. He didn’t mind washing dishes and watching over kids, but it just made him feel like a wife. All the television shows just played out the roles of the lazy dad not doing anything and the mom cooking and cleaning. He wasn’t a mom, but he didn’t want to be idle and let someone else do all the work. How exactly did gay relationships with kids work? He expected that both fathers would do the work, but still…

Would they even get that far into a relationship? Keith didn’t want to think about it anymore. It was noon by the time he finished, so he woke Shiro up. He opened his brother’s door just a bit and saw him snoring away. It kind of bugged Keith that Shiro still had a picture of Adam on his dresser. They broke up a few years ago and are still in touch, but Keith found it a little odd. Shiro never brought him up, though. Keith didn’t have the right to say anything, though; he kept talking about Lance all the time nowadays.

As he closed the door to let Shiro get dressed, Keith went back into the kitchen. Keiko had turned off the television guessing that Keith woke up Shiro. Keith started to dig into one of drawers for set of cheap reusable bags. He went back into his room for his wallet and by the time he came back to the kitchen, he saw Shiro digging in the fridge for some cold brew coffee. That was fast, but Keith didn’t question it.

Yawning, Shiro drank straight from the large bottle. Despite having a doctorates, he was still a hot mess. He pulled out a disposable cup from a plastic bag and filled it up with cereal, dumping almond milk in it. He turned to Keith with the cup, “I’m ready.”

“We could’ve waited for you to eat in a bowl, y’know.”

“Nah, it tastes better like this.”

“Only you would say that, c’mon then.”

Keith unlocked his car and got Keiko in before sitting in the front, “I kinda hate shopping.”

“Then get it delivered,” Keiko responded.

Keith sighed, “I don’t trust them to not spit in our food, and the discounted food isn’t listed online. I want my cheap oranges.”

“Don’t we have enough money for the prettier oranges?”

“Sometimes, but the cheap ones still taste good.”

“Sure.”

Keith huffed, finally seeing Shiro lock the back door. He got in and sat next to Keith, “What were you two talking about?”

“Daddy likes cheap oranges a little bit too much.”

“Oh. I can get the nicer ones,” Shiro spoke up.

“Forget I said anything,” Keith was a little annoyed while starting the car.

The store wasn’t empty, but it was fairy empty. A few elders and soccer moms roamed the store for discounts and so were this tiny family. Or well, Keith; he didn't want to use or spend Shiro's money, but Shiro needed a few things, too. He didn’t write a list out, but he had an idea on what they needed. They went around the store a few times and picked what they required.

Keiko was walking behind Keith and saw a box of cookies. Pulling on his pants to get his attention, she showed the box to him, “Can I have these?”

“No. Those aren’t good for you.”

“Please?”

“No is no. I can’t get them for you.”

Before Shiro can interfere, Keith stuffed a hand in his face. He really wanted to get this parenting thing right.

“Please, Daddy?”

“Sorry, no can do.”

Keiko was getting frustrated over this dumb argument over a box of cookies, so she threw them into the cart. Keith took them out and set it back on the shelf. Keiko grabbed it and threw it into the cart again. Keith was now getting frustrated; he put them on the high shelf where she couldn’t grab it. She plopped right on the ground in front of the cookie box.

Keith looked up at Shiro, “Can you help me. I tried everything.”

Shiro made a face of disapproval, “If I had to deal with you punching other kids and bailing you out of every fight, then you can deal with a little girl and box of cookies.”

He glared before thinking of something, “Keiko, if you don’t get up… You can’t watch Voltron next week at all.”

She huffed, her face red. She got up in a few seconds and glared at him, “You have dumb rules.”

“You can have a cheap orange if you want.”

“I don’t want your dumb oranges.”

In the end, Keith forgot to get his discounted oranges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> keith is still half galra in this so like  
> they're a predator kind of creature and most predators are lactose intolerant due to being carnivores so i can only assume the galra are lactose intolerant.  
> keith is still part human so most likely he doesn't get sick often and can eat vegetables n shit, but humans on the most part can differ on lactose intolerance so for him being lactose intolerant makes a lot of sense from a biological standpoint
> 
> shiro may or may not be lactose intolerant but it's cheaper to buy one milk instead of two different kinds 
> 
> i just felt the need to explain it
> 
>  
> 
> filler chapter again lol  
> most likely the next chapter is half filler and half plot bc like,,, i'm fucking tired and i don't wanna speed this up too fast bc i can summarize the rest of the story in a few sentences 
> 
> this was an rp between my s/o and i and i rly liked it bc i gave it more detail and depth, so to remember the idea, i decided to write it. they help with a few mistakes in my writing and sometimes they miss a few, too. it's okay, i'm tired so a lot of shit passes my eyes- i just want people to understand what the fuck i'm typing tbh  
> can u tell i rp'd keith??
> 
> happy birthday to my husband lance. may he have a good upcoming season. if he were real, i'd marry him in a heartbeat!!!! love his nonexistent ass!!!!  
> might have a lance-centric chapter next tbh  
> i was gonna add a part where lance is is super excited but it was better left off for another chapter
> 
> i'm running out of synonyms for perfect. fuck send help!!!  
> i could change all the chapter titles tho, but ehhhhhh
> 
> edit: wtf happened to the update date


	10. announcement

okay, so bc this entire story was just a silly rp and i expanded on it, im thinking of stopping this story until further notice.

s7 discouraged me in writing the rest of this fic; not because of klance or whatever (the shit with shiro/adam and there are so many other problems), but because I honestly got the characters wrong and whatever; i would change a lot of things.

tho honestly keith felt ooc this season and lance??? idk what to make of him, but i love him sm- i feel rly bad for shiro, too...

 

the rest of the story is still in the air, when my s/o and i made this rp idea thing, we started throwing ideas out in the open and fixing them and moving them around; i'd fix a good portion of this story- we still move shit around now  
the situation for the og rp was completely different than the fic version bc the rp became more and more different with more and more ideas

 

the rest of fic was gonna have more conflict and then the ending was a confrontation with previous characters if that makes you feel any better.  
i actually had a lot planned, but now???? idk man i wanna change a lot of shit, but that means rewriting almost 33,500 words and this season was just????   
ill keep the fic up bc some people like it, but other wise, i won't continue unless a shit ton of people tell me to finish.   
i might write something else for this shitty show, but idk... at this point, i rly don't know... the chapter after the one i wanted to post was going to be nice bonding and them all living together and happy, but at this point the characters dont fit the fucking plan i had anymore  
  
i had 1320 words written for this chapter and i feel like i cant use any of them anymore

well this is goodbye

my tumblr is jelly-keith is you need anything lol, but you won't ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
  
music rec bc why not: /watch?v=Xwm6PWgCFBA  
  



	11. Absolute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember how i said i had about 1320 words??? so i finished that chapter and the next one.  
> i had free time and like i decided to waste my time to this and not homework, which i really should've worked on  
> BAD SMUT IS AHEAD  
> im fucking asexual so i can't write proper smut  
> i originally said dong and the gf said no don't do that   
> it feels weird to have children in the beginning and then smut at the end

Saturday was literally tomorrow, so Lance needed to figure a few things out. He sat down at his desk and pulled out a journal. Writing down what he needed to do, he planned to find a cute, but functional outfit for Cecilia; however, he needed to find a cute, but functional outfit for himself. He also needed to bring snacks,  but Keith was clearly the snacc here. Lance sat there for a few minutes, pondering. If Cecilia needed to bring a few toys, he needed to record an inventory checklist for them; no toy was being lost on his watch. 

Cecilia, on the other hand, had zero cares in the world. All she was doing was waiting for tomorrow; nothing can go wrong if they were happy. She walked into Lance’s room and looked up at him. He was scowling at his blue spiral notebook. That wasn’t good, but as soon as he noticed her, he lit up. Picking her up, he gave a big smooch on the cheek. What a stress reliever! Giggling, she pushed him away; he hadn’t shaved and a prickly beard was not fun. 

The next day, they got ready and made their way to the park. Thank goodness for the lack of people, he didn’t have to worry about anyone snatching his baby despite being three feet away. Lance was as happy as he could be besides the feeling of anxiousness in the back of his mind. He saw Keith and his daughter sitting on a bench not too far away from the playground. Keiko was napping and leaning on Keith; the father didn’t seem to have a care in the world. That made Lance doubt that his nervous feelings were valid.

As they approached the father-daughter duo, Lance waved, “Hi! We’re here.”

“Oh,” Keith gently shoved Keiko awake, “Sorry, she was super excited and couldn’t sleep.”

That explained it. Cecilia left Lance’s side and pulled Keiko away from the bench. She wanted to go on the slide with her, or well, that’s what Lance assumed. He sat next to Keith, trying to strike up conversation, “You like this park?”

“Kinda. If there’s a lot of people, we don’t tend to stay for long. It’s overwhelming sometimes. We usually get ice cream after or go walking down a quiet trail.”

“That sounds nice. I want to teach Cecilia how to ride a bike so we can go bike riding together on the trail.”

“I should teach Keiko. I think she’s old enough now.”

“Maybe,” Lance coughed, trying to muffle his sound, “We can go together.”

Keith smirked, “Like on a date?”

Lance burned, “Uh… Only if you want it to be.”

“It can be a date, but,” Keith pointed to the girls on top of the slide, “What about them?”

Lance sighed, “I don’t have any relatives to watch over them.”

“My brother is always working and comes home late,” Keith frowned, “This might not work unless we take them with us, huh?”

“I have a really good friend of mine,” He brought up, “He’s like one of the most responsible dudes I know. He graduated in mechanical engineering  _ and _ he owns a restaurant with zero debt. He’s married and has a little boy now! He’s the sweetest thing ever. I think I trust him enough with my daughter.”

“Really, huh?” Keith thought about it, “I haven’t left Keiko with anyone else besides my brother when he comes home early.” 

“I’ll ask him to see if he’s okay with it. In the meantime, you can think about it.”

Keith nodded, staring at the girls, “I think they deserve a say, too. I’ll ask her later.”

“You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“Nothing.”

Keith found it odd. How did Lance feel about this? He didn’t know. They had been texting here and there throughout the week, but would a date really close up this gap? A date??? Now that was something else. 

“So, uh, you wanna go get ice cream after this?” Lance didn’t like the pregnant silence between them.

Keith nodded once more, “Yeah. The ice cream parlor on Main Street is really good.”

“I love that place,” Lance chuckled, “I haven’t gone in such a long time.”

“If Keiko and I need it or we had a good day, we go. They have this almond milk soft serve and it’s amazing.”

“I didn’t think you’d be a connoisseur of dairy-free ice cream.”

“You got a problem?”

“Your big muscles scream protein and you’re over here talking about  _ nut _ milk soft serve.”

Keith made a face of disapproval, “Do some research before you bash.”

“I’m just teasing,” Lance stuck his tongue out.

After a few more minutes of the girls playing, it was time to go. Lance didn’t use anything written down in his journal; he learned something new today. Keith didn’t bring anything at all. He was starting to feel like a terrible parent, Lance didn’t want to ruin the moment by saying anything either. 

The ice cream parlor was the same as Lance remembered, but going out was still kind of hard. He just guessed Keith being around made him want to go out. If he was going to talk to Hunk about this, Hunk might just get on Keith’s case or something. Everyone had been a little overprotective of Lance since Lauren died, but Keith wasn’t Lauren. Keith was this great father with an adorable little girl. Lauren couldn’t even bother to do that. This date might end up killing him. 

Keith ordered ice cream for him and his little girl and Lance was next. He picked up Cecilia and showed her all of the different flavors of ice cream they had through the fingerprinted glass case. She was amazed; she had never been to a place like this before. Lance never bothered to show her. Guilt crawled up his spine as he just stared at his reflection in the stained glass. He looked tired, frail, and depressed; why did Keith want to date him in the first place? 

He ordered the smallest cup possible with just vanilla bean. That just had to be half a scoop. Cecilia didn’t question it since she was used to seeing Lance eat that amount, but she had difficulty trying to pick something. They had different flavors than what the store carried. She pointed to this pink and blue colored ice cream, “What is it?”

The worker across the counter answered cotton candy and she gasped in amazement. They didn’t have that in stores at all! Lance ended up getting a tiny sugar cone with a scoop of cotton candy on top for her. She was absolutely delighted. They all sat together outside at a small table at the end of the parlor. 

Lance was curious, “What did you two get?” 

“I got a chocolate-strawberry swirl mix thing,” He pointed to the soft serve machine, “It’s good.” He wasn’t hesitant and got a nice looking waffle cone with sprinkles. It made Lance’s half scoop cup look ridiculous. Keith chuckled, “She just got a sugar cone with strawberry soft serve.” 

“-and sprinkles,” Keiko looked up at Keith for a moment before continuing to enjoy her ice cream. 

Keith didn’t mean to stare, but Lance only got a fucking blob of ice cream. Was this guy on a diet or something? He ate cookies before, but the ice cream? What? Trying to ignore it, he noticed the girls talking about Barbie movies. Geez, those were old movies and yet they  _ still _ brought it up. Lance got the hint of confusion and looked inside the window, “So… You wanna ask the girls now? About the… y’know…”

Keith sighed, “Why do I gotta do it?”

“You’re the one who brought up telling them?”

Pouting, Keith got the girls’ attention, “Would you two mind if we… went on a date?”

“No,” They both quickly said in unison. That was startling. 

Lance’s eyebrows furrowed, “We have to leave you with someone to have that date. Do you mind that?”

“No,” They both replied again.

Keith found that odd. Keiko agreeing to stay with someone else in the meantime? That was… not expected. She just turned to him and smiled. Keith ended up nonplussed and concerned; he glanced at Lance for reassurance. Lance just shrugged. Sharply exhaling, Keith accepted it, “Alright. I guess you two will be left with someone else while we go do boring adult stuff, right?”

Lance nodded, “Yeah, boring adult stuff.”

Keiko bit into her cone and then looked back up at both of them, “You two gonna kiss?”

Her father had never felt more embarrassed in his life. 

-

After Keith and Keiko left to go eat lunch, Lance and Cecilia went on their own merry way back home. Lance had carried his daughter back to their car since she was tired, but both left content. He needed to keep in touch with Keith, though. Luckily, it was the only thing he was thinking about at the moment.

Keith was sweet, kind, and seemed to be a good father. Lance couldn’t help it, but he felt super envious of his parenting skills, his daughter was so well-behaved- at the same time, he  _ really _ liked Keith. His thick, wavy hair was enticing; he wanted to run his hands through it- pull and tug on it. His violet eyes were captivating, an actual black hole inviting Lance in, sucking every ounce of him. Keith’s beautiful smile that only came out every once in a blue moon, but it felt like only Lance was able to see such a feat. 

Laughing, he turned on his car and left to back up the hill where they lived. Cecilia was in total confusion to why he just randomly laughed, she was too tired to question it at this point. 

-

A few days went by and Lance had finally planned on a date with Keith. Saturday at eight PM. Lance was going to pick Keith up and drop off the girls with Hunk. Keith wasn’t really in the mood to leave his kid alone, but he wanted to see if this date would work out. When it came time to drop them off, Keith was sitting in the front seat of Lance’s car. He watched as Hunk led them to his wife to bring inside. Hunk, coming back towards Lance’s car, talked to them on Keith’s side of the window. Keith knew who Hunk was, but he didn’t think that Lance knew him  _ that _ well. 

“So like, both of you are going on a date right now? No offence, but are both of you okay?”

Keith tried not to make a face, but nodded, “Yeah. There isn’t anything wrong about it, right?”

“Keith’s right. I think we’re both sane about this. We just wanna… y’know, get to know each other a little more,” Lance tried to act cool and casual, but knew why Hunk asked.

Hunk stared at Keith for a second, “You look familiar. I can’t put my finger on it. I’ll try to remember later on, but treat Lance well. He’s been through a lot recently.”

“I helped you unpack stuff for your opening day a few years ago- I’m the delivery man,” Keith swallowed from nervousness, “I promise not to hurt him.” Hunk sounded like he was giving Lance away like a teenage girl on her first date; that kind of bugged Keith a bit. 

Hunk made some kind of grunt of approval, “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere else, though.”

Keith, on the spot, gulped. Did Hunk know? Was he going to tell Lance? Was the natural phase of falling in love going to be cut short? Fuck. Hunk seemed to be the nosiest person and Keith just felt that radiating off of his persona. 

Hunk stopped, pausing to stare for a moment or two before walking back inside. Lance huffed, “Don’t worry about Hunk, man. All my friends are worried about me since I haven’t dated in a few years. They make it seem like it’s natural for me to move on to the next person so fast, but I can’t do that- I _ haven’t _ done that. I like you, though. I really do. I wanna make this work. I’ve had bad luck when it came to dating and getting with people. I married my deceased wife not knowing what I was getting into and I ended up regretting a lot of it. The only good thing that came from it was my daughter.”

Keith’s anxiousness faded away at Lance’s honest comment, “I wanna make this work out, too. It’s been a long time since I’ve ever been in a relationship. I’ve never been in a healthy relationship either. You seem like a really nice guy and I hope it doesn't turn out like the rest of my dates. So, to make things more light-hearted, uh, where are we going?” 

“Since Hunk isn't at his restaurant, I’d say that we could go to an Olive Garden or maybe some other kind of Italian restaurant. I can take you someplace fancy, but neither of us are in suits…” Lance shrugged, “It's up to you really. I don't mind. I was thinking we could watch a movie afterwards, too. After that, maybe we can talk or something. We have all the way until tomorrow morning.” 

Keith smiled, “That sounds perfect. Let's go to someplace local, though. It tastes better.” 

“Agreed. We’re ordering two extra orders of garlic bread, though. Judge me all you want. I’m addicted to it. It’s something I’ll actually go out of my way to eat,” Lance didn't want Keith’s face of disapproval in response to that.

He just chuckled, “Maybe I can make some for you one day.”

Lance turned to stare at him for a second or two, falling in love with the idea of Keith baking garlic bread and knots just for him. Keith using his forearm muscles to knead the fuck out of that dough. He was so jealous of how much strength and bulk this dude had, but it looked so good on him; he wanted Keith to use his arms and hands to strangle him and hold him down while drilling into his ass. Okay, Lance was a weak man, but there was no way Keith would bother being rough with him in the first place tonight. It was their first date, anyway. 

After eating their fill and watching an action movie, they went to the park and walked along a quiet trail. A few night joggers and bikers were going around them, enjoying the sight of the night. Lance was holding Keith’s hand as they talked and walked. Their hands were warm unlike the chilly night air. Lance liked this comfortable aura between them; he felt like he understood Keith a bit better now. He knew that Keith liked drawing and taking photos of things he saw while working. He knew that Keith cooked healthy things for his daughter, yet ate junk and fast food like no tomorrow. It didn't make any sense to Lance, but then everyone had their little quirks. He knew that he had some of his own. 

“Does this feel rushed to you?” Keith asked, “I mean, we’ve been talking to each other for a bit and texted sometime in between, but still.”

Lance thought about it for a second or two, but just replied, “Yeah, I guess, but I feel something else with you. I feel like I got the missing puzzle piece I needed. It feels right doing all of these things.” 

“Oh, cool. Same,” Keith didn't change expression.

“Are  _ you _ uncomfortable? Is it fast for you?” Lance let go of his hand, “If it's too much, we can take this a bit slower.”

Keith shook his head, reaching back for Lance’s hand, “It's perfect. Don't worry about it.” 

Lance smiled in response, moving a little closer to Keith, “It feels like I’ve known you for a years. You’re so strong and kind. I don't know why you’re going out of your way to make me happy.”

His date stood still, not moving an inch, startling Lance in the process, “You’re worth my time and energy, don't you know? You’re so sweet and caring. I can never imagine being alone for all of those years. You’re worth so much more than what I can give.” 

The taller man, just stared in bewilderment, “We’ve only spoken a few times. How do you know so much about me?”

Keith coughed, “You talked about your wife and how she died when Cecilia was born. You were never alone, but working so hard as a single parent… it's take a lot of time and energy.” 

“Did your girlfriend leave you with Keiko?” Lance never asked him about her at all, Keith didn't seem particularly happy with that question.

The man sighed, “No. I don't want to talk about it.” Keith didn't want to reveal two things: that Lance was the father and that he was trans. It was still way too early to say anything.

Lance made a face, “Alright. Will you tell me one day?”

“Maybe. Maybe…” Keith turned away from Lance’s gaze, “It's just a lot to deal with right now. I haven't even told her yet.”

Lance always thought that Keith was  _ so _ responsible, but then he realized that he didn't know jackshit besides his quirks and small facts. Yeah Keith was a great father, but something was wrong. Why was Keiko such a quiet child? Why did he bring nothing when they went to the park? Was he secretly an abusive father? Did he kill his female partner? All those piercings and dark clothes came from somewhere, right?

Lance started to worry now. Who the fuck was Keith? As soon as he started to panic, Keith held onto his arm gently as they walked. It was no longer hand-holding, but Keith was attached to his arm. Keith trusted him, yet didn't want to tell him shit. 

“Can you tell me anything? I don't anything about you,” Lance looked down at him, expecting some kind of answer.

Keith looked up at him, “I guess, but it depends on the question. Ask me something.”

“Where do you work?” 

“I work at a small company as their main delivery boy. Think Amazon, but smaller. Much smaller.”

“Who do you live with?” 

“I live with my older brother, Shiro. He’s a doctor.”

“You don't do anything bad to Keiko do you?” 

Keith let go, shocked to hear Lance ask such a thing, “Why would… I ever do that to my only child? I love her so much. Why would I ever do that?”

Lance shrugged, trying to not make this situation worse,  “I’ve never seen such an obedient kid, okay? It's weird to see.”

“She’s really shy. I asked doctors about this kind of shit, okay? They said nothing was wrong, but  _ I _ just need to make her more social. I’m actually really happy she made friends with Cecilia. It shows me that she can be friendly; I don't want her to end up like  _ me _ . I don’t want her to be  _ lonely _ ,” Keith looked down at the sidewalk they were standing on, “I want to tell you so many things, but I don't think I can right now.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Lance put a hand on Keith’s shoulder, “I shouldn't have asked anything.” 

“Let's call this date off. Maybe we just… need more time,” Keith sighed, “I’m sorry, Lance.”

“N-No, please. My wife and I had this same trust issue going on, and it still didn't get fixed until after she passed. I’m sorry I’m like this. Can we work this out?”

Keith stared, “I didn't know, I apologize. Let's go back to square one. Let's learn more about each other.”

“Agreed,” Lance let out a half-hearted chuckle, relieved, “So, Mr. Keith. Why the piercings?”

“Thought they were cool. Okay, Mr. Lance… Why do dress up like you’re a grandpa off the beaches of Havana?”

“I’m a dad. It's a characteristic of being a dad.”

“You don't see me dressed up like that and I'm a dad.”

“You’re pretty weird for a dad. You’re like an emo dad or something. Maybe some type of punk dad. Are you sure Keiko’s okay? You don't take her to emo concerts, do you?”

“Rude. I just haven't gone out and bought clothes since I went to college. Deal with it.” 

“Uh, how long have you been growing out your hair? It's nice. You think I can pull it off?”

“I’ve been growing it out for five years and chopping off the ends after a while. I don't think you’d look very nice with long, shaggy hair, to be honest. Your kept hair is much nicer.” 

“What kind of face mask do you use? Your skin is beautiful,” Lance was obviously staring.

Keith just laughed, “I don't use anything.”

Lance paused, “What????? You’ve got to be kidding!”

“Nope,” Keith shrugged, “Most of that crap irritates my skin sometimes.”

“I need to see what a face mask will do with just one attempt.”

“You must really be checking me out if you're so worried about a face mask on me.”

“I only have beauty standing right before me. I can't admire this wonderful piece of artwork in front of me?”

“You’re an ass,” Keith punched his shoulder lightly.

Lance grabbed his hands, “No violence, thanks.”

He chuckled, “So now what? We’ve eaten, watched a movie, walked down this trail. I’ve enjoyed all this time together, though.”

“I dunno. I mean, I didn’t really plan for anything else. I could just drop you off at home and I can pick you up in the morning.”

“I was thinking we can maybe spend the night together or something. I mean, it’s obvious that we’re into each other and stuff.”

“Are you implying what I think you’re implying? If so, I’m down, I’ve been staring at your ass this entire time.”

“Lance!” Keith burned scarlet, trying to pull down his jacket and shirt, “I get that you’re taller and you can see over trees and mountains, but you can’t just say that out loud!”

“So you don’t wanna get hot and naughty? Did I get the wrong idea?”

“No, you didn’t. You got it right, but seriously... Was this on your mind the entire time?”

Lance blushed, lowering his head in shame, “Yeah, but then we got all emo on each other, but I’m still down to rock ‘n roll.” 

Keith grabbed his hand and started dragging him back to Lance’s car, “C’mon hotshot, we can try. I hope that your expectations aren’t too high, though. I haven’t been in a relationship for a long time. You probably haven’t done anything either. When we start, please don’t get disappointed. I mean…” 

He stopped, staring straight into Lance’s eyes, “I’m not what you think I am. When you know, it’s okay if you stop the relationship.” He sadly smiled, “I really enjoyed our night so far. I hope this doesn’t ruin it for us.”

Lance didn’t understand what he was saying at all, “Are you just self-conscious or something because you’re, like, muscular as hell? I lost a lot of healthy weight over the years, so it’s been bugging me a lot. I’m putting on a brave act really. I want to do this, but I feel like I’m not hot enough for you. I’m just a stick and you’re like a supermodel.”

“I don’t like my body at all, but it’s not for that reason. I can’t go do modeling for  _ that _ reason. I think you’ll figure it out sooner or later. I think you’re beautiful, Lance. Skinny or not. When I first saw you, I felt like I encountered an angel,” Keith sighed, starting to walk again. The Lance he remembered was more muscular and strong. He remembered the way Lance held onto his hips and thighs. He was so powerful; however, the Lance before him looked so thin and weak. Keith loved him either way, but he only hoped Lance felt the same way as before. He didn’t want to deal with this sweet dude turning into Michael.

“You’re so nice to me. I don’t deserve it,” Lance muttered under his breath, not understanding why Keith thought he was beautiful. As soon as they reached his car, Lance got into the back seat and Keith did the same. They threw the car seat into the front and sat there quietly for a minute.

“May I kiss you? I’ve been wanting to ever since the beginning of this evening,” Lance smiled, coming closer to Keith who nodded. He cupped Keith’s face with his hands and slowly drew himself in for a kiss. It was a gentle kiss, full of curiosity and love. Longing for more, Keith wrapped his arms around him, softly whispering, “This feels so right.”

Lance nodded, trying to close the gap between them. He kissed along Keith’s jaw, down his neck. His hands roamed the ends of Keith’s shirt trying to find the waist of his jeans. He undid the button and smirked, “Can I touch you?”

“Sure, but you won’t like what you find,” Keith sighed.

Lance shrugged, “Whatever. You’re handsome as fuck and I want to treat you.”

Lance’s hand dragged along Keith’s abs and into the hair that greeted him. A little further and there was no dick. He paused, internally panicking. Quickly, he went up Keith’s shirt and found a tight binder. “You’re trans…”

“Yeah, I am.”

Thoughts ran through Lance’s  head, coming to a conclusion, “You had Keiko, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” 

“Is that why you didn’t want to tell me who the mother was?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry Lance. I didn’t mean to lie to you.”

“Well, you didn’t lie since you didn’t tell me.”

“Yeah, but people would say I’m lying just by being trans.”

“There isn’t a rule saying that you have to tell me. You’re very handsome, though. I can still…. y’know… go down. There are no rules saying that I can’t.” 

“You don’t wanna leave me for being trans?”

“Why would I? I still find you very attractive. Like, geez man. I swear this happened before.”

Keith scoffed, “You’ve had sex with another trans man?”

“Yeah, a long time ago. He was fucking hot. You’re hot, too, I mean….” Lance got a good look at Keith, “I don’t remember his name, though. You’re like the sweetest thing and he had a fucking motorcycle, tearing up the road. He kinda looked like an addict, though.”

He was definitely offended, but Keith knew that he had been doing better since then. He didn’t think that he looked like an addict,  _ but _ he was a recovering alcoholic. Lance thought that Keith was hotter than before which, to Keith, sounded weird. He shrugged, “Cool, I guess?”

Lance chuckled, lifting up Keith’s shirt, “Hmm. It's doesn't look like you had Keiko at all. You have solid abs. Nothing unusual.”

Keith coughed out a laugh, “I had a super irregular pregnancy, man. I didn't know I was pregnant until the day I gave birth. That was terrifying.”

Lance paled, running his hands over his date’s stomach, not seeing a stretch mark in sight, “You didn't know?”

“Nope. I didn't have any symptoms at all.”

“You’re okay from down there?” Lance pulled on the hem of his jeans, looking down.

Keith huffed, pulling his pants down passed his butt, “It definitely hurt, giving birth I mean, but I’m still working and I can feel  _ everything _ .” He smirked, “You wanna still treat me, hotshot?”

Lance chuckled, licking his lips, “Don't mind if I do.”

“Since when were you a connoisseur of eating pussy?” Keith teased.

“Don’t worry about it. I got you, babe,” Lance put a hand on his thigh and got down in the lower compartment of the car. He kissed up his inner thigh before reaching up into Keith’s folds.

Keith hummed for a bit, getting used to how gentle Lance was. Suddenly, he felt Lance’s lips fall away. He looked down at Lance in confusion, “What's wrong?”

“This doesn't feel like a normal… y’know...” Lance didn't make a face, but he was confused, “It's not bad, but different. I’ve never sucked a dick, but this tastes like a dick.”

“Because it is. I have a dick,” Keith sighed, “You gonna do something or not? I can do it myself.”

Lance panicked, “N-No. Just gimme a sec, please.”

“Hurry up before people get suspicious,” He made a face of disapproval.

“Sorry,” Lance felt incredibly bad. That other trans dude that Lance had sex with? Lance didn't eat him out or anything, so this was kind of new.

Lance continued what he was doing before, exploring this new playing field. One thing he was doing was purposely avoiding his…  _ dick _ ? Lance didn't know what to call it, but he didn't want to insult Keith now. He just wanted to get Keith excited and giddy before indulging in what he wanted. 

Keith exhaled sharply, not anticipating this kind of avoidance, “C’mon, Lance.”

“Not yet,” Keith could feel the vibrations of his voice up against his folds. Lance chuckled, working his way around, getting an idea of Keith really tasted like.

Lance felt a pair of calloused hands run through his hair, tugging on it gently, moving with the pace he set. He longed for Keith to be rough and pull so hard, but he was soft. So soft. He wanted to melt from his fingers alone.

He ran his tongue down his slit and finally touched his dick. Lance could  _ feel _ Keith shudder and redden from the touch. Taking the dick between his lips, Keith’s breath only grew hotter and faster.

Lance went on and teased his cock, getting Keith to tug harder on his hair. He was going to get split ends from how hard Keith was pulling, but damn was worth it. Feeling himself get immensely hard, Lance was almost about to pull out his cock; however, he wasn't sure if Keith wanted that at the moment. 

Keith’s hips soon started to buck and thrust onto his face; Lance could tell he wasn't patient. He let go of Keith’s thigh and started to use his fingers as a guide for what they might do later. 

Lance brought the tempo up and started to enter his warmth. He heard whimpering from above and that was Lance’s indicator that he was doing a good job. Keith started to shift in the car seat and dragged Lance along with him. 

“L-Lance,” Keith moaned out, “I can't hold it in anymore. You’re such a good boy.” 

Lance groaned at his words, his voice lingering in his folds. Keith finally released himself, relaxing back in the seat. Lance felt hands retreat from his head and looked up. It didn't take long for Keith to come at all. Was that another trans dude thing? Lance wasn't sure how he did, but the look on Keith’s face was priceless. He looked so trusting of Lance and it was full of lust and admiration. 

Keith sighed, “Do you wanna do penetration or what?” 

“I’m sorry, what?” Lance began to get a bit uncomfortable with his situation downstairs.

“You wanna stick your dick up my hell hole?”

“Oh. Uh, sure.”

“It might help your…” He pointed down, indicating his excited situation.

Lance shrugged, “I don't know if it’ll make you uncomfortable… I’m just nervous. The last time I used a condom, it broke.”

“Wear the condom and just pull out, man.”

“Alright. Lay down for me.”

“Oh. I thought you might've wanted me to ride you “

“No, it's fine. Let's just get on with it. Do you need a minute?”

“No, I’m good. C’mon.”

Keith got comfortable on the sofa and Lance carefully got on top, facing him. Keith stared for a minute or two before blinking in amazement. Lance was so handsome despite that worried look on his face. Lance grabbed his limbs and set them in a position that deemed necessary for the amount of space they got. Putting a condom on, Lance looked down at Keith; Keith was so beautiful that he couldn't think straight. 

“Are you ready? I don't have the smallest dick…” Lance chuckled, biting his lip.

Keith laughed, “I don't necessarily have a large hole, do I?” 

His partner groaned from how stupid that was, “Seriously? You gonna ruin the mood?”

“The mood is only ruined went your dick goes limp.”

“Just wait. This dick is going to fuck your brains out.”

“Prove it.”

“Fine.” 

Lance, without warning, went in; Keith felt so full so fast. He whined, his pussy pulsating along his cock. Before thrusting, Lance took a moment to appreciate Keith’s warmth.

“No wonder you call it a hell hole, it's so  _ h o t _ ,” Lance started to thrust his hips into Keith's slowly. He knew that Keith wasn't stretched out enough for his dick, but he also knew that Keith  _ loved _ it. 

Keith was fucking gone, deep in his mind; bliss filling out his emotions. Everything they talked about previously? He didn't remember. All he could think about was that Lance was fucking his brains out and he wasn't even at full speed. Keith just managed to mutter out, “Harder, faster.” 

Encouraged from his bird’s singsong, Lance sped up, banging endlessly into Keith. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he focused all of his energy into fucking Keith. Each whine and moan just added gasoline to his fire. 

Keith was holding on to Lance, using his nails to dig into his back, using his body as leverage. He didn't remember the last time anyone fucked him like this; it felt  _ so _ good. Keith could feel Lance’s horse dick drill into him, the increasing heat building up. Before he knew Lance would come, he gently pushed him away. Lance got his message and followed through; he pulled out and came instantly.

He felt incredibly satisfied and fulfilled despite this being the opposite of what he wanted. Lance wanted to be fucked, but instead he went and fucked Keith. Lost in a sex-haze, Lance didn't notice as Keith came again. What he  _ did _ notice was Keith sitting up.

“So, Lance… Are we gonna do anything else?” Keith just had to ask.

Lance gulped, “Uh, this is sudden, but do you wanna come home with me?”

Keith pulled his pants up and was surprised by his question, “Sure…” 

“You can take a shower when we get there unless you don't want to go. I can drop you off.”

“No, Lance. It's fine. I don't mind. We might as well use all the time we have together, right?”

“Yeah. Can you walk? If not, you can stay in the back seat.”

“I’ll just stay back here. I leave you in charge of driving. Don't crash, okay?”

“I have a boat licence, too. You don't think I drive very well? I have practice.”

“Alright then, drive us home.”

Lance pulled up his own pants and got out. He smiled as he went back to the driver's seat; Keith said  _ home. _ That alone made his night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after the next chapter im gonna post like in a few minutes, there is only gonna be a few more chapters left like engagement and conflict, marriage, and then the conclusion which is a confrontation.   
> that's gonna be it folks! im so close to finishing this fic that NO ONE CARES ABOUT HA


	12. Mint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is bad

By the time they were on the road, Lance kept glancing at Keith through the rear-view mirror. Keith was on his cellphone looking up his free days on his calendar. He couldn’t help but smile at Keith’s focused face. Keith was still tired and flushed from their sexual activities, but really? Lance wanted to kiss him again until this kind of face was permanent. 

Keith spoke up,  “Lance, is next Saturday good for you again?”

“Yeah. That’s fine,” Lance turned on the corner, his house in view on the top of the hill, “When we get there, do you wanna shower first?”

“If you don’t mind…” His partner sighed, “Are you sure you don’t mind me staying the night over… It’s still our first date.”

“If we’re going to be dating and getting comfortable, especially with our daughters… then we need to spend more time together.”

“Okay,” Keith just accepted it; however, it felt weird knowing that he was accepted once again like before. Lance hadn't changed at all during these few years that past; however, he didn't like being called an addict.

As soon as Lance parked, he opened the backdoor, watching as Keith took his seatbelt off. He quickly grabbed Keith and decided to carry him inside the house. Wide-eyed, Keith squirmed, “Y-You didn’t have to carry me! We’re too old to be doing this!”

Lance shrugged, “I can’t carry  _ my  _ boyfriend inside? Well, he can’t really walk, can he?”

His partner sighed, “I guess? I can if I  _ really _ wanted to.” 

“We’re both a little out of practice, so it’s okay to admit you’re not doing okay,” Lance huffed, setting Keith down in the living room. He turned to lock the front door, despite not having a reason to; living isolated gave you that kind of option (not really).

Keith stood awkwardly, not really feeling like he was doing okay in general. Lance actually liked him back. Lance liked him a lot. He wasn’t sure if it was love yet, but Keith was certainly in love. There was nothing that could stop his feelings from brewing. 

Lance helped Keith up the stairs after that and showed him to his room, “I know it’s a bit early in the relationship to even consider sleeping together, but I don’t want to let you sleep on the couch or in the guest room. It doesn’t feel right. 

“O-Okay,” Keith looked around, seeing a framed picture of Lance and Lauren together on his drawer. He suddenly felt guilty taking up her space. His thoughts were scattered, jumping place to place, not deserving Lance’s kind advances. Lance caught him staring at the photo of him and Lauren and cringed. He didn’t want to say anything to Keith about her at the moment. He wanted to spend time with Keith. Lovely, sweet Keith; he was so warm and kind. Keith always respected his boundaries and he respected Lance’s. It was a perfect exchange that Lance couldn’t help feel like he was wanted. He had a purpose besides being a dad. He was a lover and he was being  _ loved _ . 

He let Keith sit on the edge of the bed and started to find clean clothes to let Keith sleep in after showering. He gave Keith a pajama set he had never used and told him that there were clean, unused towels in the cabinet in the bathroom. Keith stared at everything Lance did. He was gently handing Keith everything with a smile. He appreciated Keith for all that he was worth. He didn’t treat Keith differently at all, fully knowing that he was trans. 

Lance watched as Keith slowly got up and thanked him before heading to the bathroom at the end of the hall like Lance instructed. Getting his own pajama set ready, Lance just stuffed the framed photo into his top drawer. He didn’t want to see his frustrated face and a pleased Lauren; it was her idea in the first place. 

It didn’t take long for Keith to come back from showering. He was in Lance’s pajamas and carried all of his dirty clothes with him back into the room. Lance took up the dirty towel and let Keith hold on to his clothes. He gave Keith the remote to his television and told him that it was all up to him if he wanted to watch something while waiting. 

Lance went on his own to the bathroom and left Keith alone. Keith didn’t really have a choice really, but he did notice something. The frame was gone. He didn’t think too much of it as he turned on the television across from the bed. It was a late night show that was being aired. This celebrity was talking about her previous relationships and how she dealt with being in unhealthy ones. Keith related to her more than he wanted to. She had a best friend that always came to her aid when it got too bad. Shiro had always been there for him, despite risking his job. It made Keith feel terrible, but he listened as she said the same thing; it was like a message directed to him. 

The celebrity started to explain what a healthy relationship was like to an unhealthy one because for the longest time, she didn’t even know what it was like. Keith started to follow through all of his previous relationships and realized that even with Michael, he showed signs of being crazy and abusive from the get go. He thought Michael was the sweetest guy, but he was being weird. He was almost manipulative. Michael was the one that convinced him to live away from Shiro in the first place. Keith had just moved to this city with Shiro in the first place and then he left. When Michael first met Shiro, he knew he was being watched, so he removed Shiro from the equation. Keith sighed, Lance wasn’t like that, right? He wasn’t in denial either, right?

Lance walked in, seeing as Keith was watching this show. He sat down next to Keith, “What’s she talking about?”

“The difference between and healthy and unhealthy relationship,” Keith answered.

Lance sighed, “My deceased wife made our relationship abusive technically.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She was controlling to the point that I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere besides to buy groceries and work, but work is only a five minute walk from here.”

“I’m sorry…” 

“You said you’ve never been in a healthy relationship, right?”

“Yeah. Gaslighting was a main issue after I came out as trans. Before, it was mainly domestic violence and I had charges for trying to defend myself and fight back.”

“That sucks, I’m sorry, too.”

“This isn’t going to be an unhealthy thing, is it?”

“I don’t want it to be.”

Keith smiled softly, having a bit of actual trust with Lance around. Lance felt the same. This wouldn’t be the last of their dates.

-

A month or two went by and it was finally the beginning of the school year. Keith yawned, trying to get Keiko up, but she didn’t want to. He groaned, dragging her out of bed. She finally got up and tried her best to get dressed. Yesterday, the both of them had gotten school supplies ready and she was super excited to learn more and color all day. Keith was going to be lonely, delivering packages all by himself, but he wanted her to have a good future, so this was it.

The preschool wasn’t too far from the house, so it was a quick drive. He parked and walked her into the school. As soon as she saw the other kids, she glued herself to Keith. She wasn’t letting go either, but Keith told her that he’d pick her up soon. He opened the back pocket of her backpack and pulled out her favorite crayons. He handed it to her with a smile, “You can draw all you want, okay? It won’t be too bad, right?”

“I guess,” She looked down at her crayons with a scared pout.

“You might find some friends to color with. You won’t be alone. The teacher will always help you out if you need anything. Follow her instructions, okay? I don’t want you getting into trouble and hurting yourself.”

She nodded, looking up at the classroom door. Since class hadn’t started yet, a bunch of kids were running around and screaming and any person could hear it through the door. Keiko turned back to Keith one more time and hugged him tightly, “I’ll miss you.”

“I won’t be gone for long, okay? I love you,” He hugged her back and sent her in.

He watched from the door as she sat down at one of the small tables. She looked around, trying not to cry from how loud it was. He didn’t want to leave her, but he knew that she needed this. He stayed, watching as other parents left their kids behind; Keith couldn’t stand how they did not have a care in the world for their hyperactive child. His daughter was being so brave and strong and yet these kids were just fine. Feeling immensely bad, Keith waved to Keiko before being told by another staff member to leave. Class had already started and it was all up to her.

-

Keith had finished his deliveries and went to pick Keiko up. It was about noon and a few other parents were there. A group of white suburban mothers were laughing about how they wished that they could leave their children there all day. Keith made a face at them; if they didn’t want the child, why bother to have them in the first place. Keith wasn’t being hypocritical; he was surprised with a daughter, but he loved her anyway. It  _ was _ his decision to have sex with Lance and he knew the consequences. These women had a choice with their husbands to have a child and got annoyed with them, leaving them to other people. Keith couldn’t stand people like them. His mother left, yes, but his father did everything he could before he passed away. He didn’t know his mother at all, but he at least knew for sure that his father loved him. He wanted to be that kind of man. A strong man, one to encourage and support his one and only son. 

A few children were happily leaving, showing their parents a drawing they made, the fact that they wrote their name. Keith didn’t see Keiko among these kids. As soon as he saw Keiko, she walked up to him, nothing in her hands; Keith only assumed the worst.

They walked outside the school and went to the side, he went down to her level to try to figure out what was going on. It looked like she was trying her hardest not to cry. She stands there, not really answering to him, but soon she just bawls, hugging him tightly. He hugs her back, letting her cry. 

“It’s okay. Cry everything out. It’s over now, okay?” Keith understood what she was feeling and it crushed his heart. He only wanted the best for her, but it was something that seemed so hard to achieve. She was sobbing so hard that it was getting too hard to breathe. Keith didn’t know what to do anymore. Why was she crying? Was she just overwhelmed? What happened? Even when she was overwhelmed, she never cried like this. She usually never cried about that. At that moment, Keith knew something was very wrong. 

She stayed silent in the car, not speaking a single word. That was worrisome, so Keith decided to skip going home. They got ice cream instead. They both sat outside of the parlor, eating ice cream. It seemed to be helping a bit, but she was still bothered by this. He sighed, “Baby, I know you’re still upset. Can you please tell what happened?”

“The teacher’s mean. S-She put these loud, mean boys with me. I don’t like them. They broke all of my favorite crayons. I told the teacher and she didn’t do anything about it. She said that ‘kids would be kids.’ The boys ripped my drawing, too. The teacher just put it in the trash. She wanted me to talk to the other kids in a circle and I didn’t want to. She started to yell at me that I needed to. I-I don’t like being there.”

“I’m sorry, maybe tomorrow won’t be as bad.”

“Maybe…”

“I’m so proud of you. You went through that day all by yourself.”

Keiko nodded again, finishing up her cone, Keith finished his, too, so they went home. 

After they went home, Keith decided to do something. Something to make Keiko’s harsh day a little better. He started to work on it as soon as he finished making and eating dinner. 

He went through all of Keiko’s old clothes that were in a black plastic bag, picking out her favorite dresses. He was going to use nine dresses to make a stuffed animal for her. Something that was made with love so that she will never feel like she’s never not important. 

He started to draw a pattern by the time Keiko fell asleep and by the time Shiro got home, he finished cutting out the fabric from the dresses. Shiro sat down with Keith at the kitchen table, finding out what he was doing. He learned about Keiko’s bad first day and sighed, “You know… Most likely it isn’t going to change.”

Keith finished stitching up a leg, “I know that, but it’s something I can do to help her. I really would’ve loved if someone did that to me when my father died. You and your family came around for me two years after he passed. I just wasn’t… in the right mindset and I don’t want her to be the same. It’s only the first day, but I want to make it much better than what it was for me.”

“You’re a good father, Keith,” Shiro smiled, “I’m glad she has a father like you. I’ve never seen you take so much responsibility.”

“I mean, you did the same for me. I wouldn’t be here helping her out if it wasn’t for you. I realized the importance of being there for someone when you bothered to say hello to me.”

Shiro put a hand on his shoulder as he got up from his seat, “I’m happy I was able to help you. I apologize if my schooling might’ve gotten in the way.”

“I don’t blame you. You did what you needed to. I shouldn’t have been the one you chose to help out, but I really appreciate it. Thank you. Now go to sleep, you’ve had a long day.”

His older brother chuckled, walking into his own room. Keith turned to watch him leave before going back to finish his project. It took all the way until the morning to finish what he was doing, but it was worth it. 

Keiko woke up to a nice breakfast and a beautifully stitched stuffed octopus. Keiko talked about octopuses all the time, so Keith thought it would only make sense to make one. They didn’t sell stuffed octopuses; children just weren’t interested, but his special little girl did. As soon as she saw it, she hugged it so tightly; it was perfect. The legs had fabric from eight of her favorite dresses and the body had her most favorite dress. Keith had never seen her so happy.

“When you go to school today, take this with you, okay? You’ll need it.” 

“Thank you,” She smiled, carrying it everywhere she went. 

When Keith dropped her off, Keiko was in a good mood; it was hope that this day would be better than the rest. The teacher watched as she sat down at the seat she went to last time. She didn’t even bother looking at him through the doorway. Keith grew suspicious, but alas, he could do nothing about it. 

When Keiko came out of class, Keith was waiting for her, all happy that she was finally back with him, but he noticed something wrong. She was already crying and her octopus was gone. Keith quickly went down to her level and gave her a hug, “Hey, Baby, what’s wrong?”

“S-She took it away,” he could barely hear her over her tears. He sighed, walking inside the classroom, pointing to the teacher. 

The teacher was a middle aged woman, bitter from age and her profession. Keith was trying not to scream at her, “What the hell did you do to my daughter?”

“She was being distracting with her ugly looking stuffed…  _ animal _ , and it’s mainly her own fault for being the way she is.”

“She’s only four and she’s the quietest little girl I know, so how can she be a distraction?”

“She’s so quiet until someone says anything to her.”

“My daughter never cries, so this issue must’ve really affected her. I just want to know what the  _ hell _ happened. Don’t you know what your job is?”

“Your daughter is so out of place. Have you gotten her checked for autism or something?” 

“She’s just shy, she does not have fucking autism. Even if she did, it doesn’t make her any different. Nothing is wrong with autism. Are you implying that having autism is bad?”

“She must have some kind of mental illness. I see you clearly have issues and it went straight to her. She’s a terrible student. She doesn’t want to do anything. She’s like some kind of spoiled brat.”

“Have you considered what was happening to her at the time? The boys who sit with her? Have they done anything to make her upset?”

“They were distracted by her… was it an octopus? It was hideous, why would you give your daughter that? No wonder they also made a fuss about it.”

“Then why didn't you move her?” Keith was trying so hard to not punch this woman in the face.

She scowled, “Your daughter is  _ very _ fussy. She didn't like these boys, so I can only assume that she hated everyone else.

Keiko watched both of them fight back and forth, worried her father might snap and attack her, but it was  _ her _ issue and no one else's, “Excuse me, but… it would've been better if I sat with someone quiet.”

“You're a child. What do you know? You can't even count to five without needing help,” The teacher snapped at her, “I sat you with those boys so that you would talk instead of being an annoying clam.”

Keith, about to fucking blow a gasket, shouted at her, “ **Don't speak to my daughter that way.** ”

The teacher threw the stuffed octopus at Keith, “Get the  _ fuck _ out of my classroom. I tell students what they  _ need _ to hear. Apparently, I believe you both belong in preschool. You two are too stubborn and stupid to realize what I’m doing. I  _ was _ trying to help you and you defy me.”

Keith gave Keiko her plush back and then he picked her up. He wasn't going to fight her anymore. He’s become a better person. He walked to the principal's office and started to bicker with the principal, too. 

“That teacher does not have any  _ fucking _ right to harass my daughter like that. Nothing was done about the clear bullying.  _ Nothing. _ I’m fucking  _ appalled _ by this kind of shit. I brought my daughter to this school thinking it’d be good for her to learn and make friends. Now she’s terrified of other kids and teachers. This is going to scar her for many  _ years _ and maybe even a  _ decade _ . Do something or else,” Keith just threatened the school over his daughter and his college angst-y clothes did not help.

The principal soon became frightened, “Um, sir. Please. We can work this out. We have a shortage of teachers, so we can't necessarily fire her, but we can move your daughter to another class. This class isn’t necessarily recommended. This teacher is new and she hasn't taught before, so we only put a handful of kids in her class. We really do care about our students, though. How about it?”

“Who is this teacher and can I meet her?” Keith was leaning over the principal's desk at this point., frustrated with this entire matter. This principal was sweating buckets.

The principal called a front desk worker to fetch the teacher. This teacher ran in, stumbling from wearing heels. A mistake if you're a preschool teacher. Keith tried his hardest to not judge her. She caught her breath and stuck out her hand to Keith, “I apologize for that. My name is Ms. Romelle. I heard something about having issues?”

Keith shook her hand, surprised by her accent, “I’m Keith and this is my daughter, Keiko.” 

Keiko looked stood up from the chair, standing next to Keith. She thought this lady seemed nice, so she waved.

Romelle smiled, bending down to greet Keiko properly, “Oh hello, Keiko. It's nice to meet you.”

Keiko was still too shy to say anything, but she nodded. Romelle lit up, “You’re a sweet thing, aren't you? Are you going to be joining my class? There’s always room for one more!”

The little girl looked up at Keith, awaiting an answer. Keith shrugged, “We’re not too sure. We had an issue from another teacher, so maybe you might be the right teacher for her.”

Romelle nodded, “Would you two like to see my classroom? Maybe it might help you make that decision.”

Keith nodded, picking Keiko up again. Keiko loved the view from up there, so when they crossed the hall, she saw everything perfectly. When Romelle opened the door to her room, Keith was in awe; it was so beautifully decorated. Keiko looked around from her eagle point-of-view. Asking to be put down, she saw everything up close. She dragged along her octopus for the ride, finding table after table with labels for names. Each name was written out with beautiful handwriting, making everyone have a good looking name tag.

“If you join my class, we’ll give you a cubby,” Romelle pointed to the back of the classroom, showing off her decorated cubbies. There was a place to hang up coats, too. Keiko didn't have a cubby like that in the other classroom. She really liked it, looking up at Keith. Her father smiled, “She’d love to be in your class.”

Romelle giggled, “Alright. Let's go get that class changed!”

-

The next morning was full of anticipation. A new day had begun! Keiko was actually excited for class. It made Keith happy knowing that Keiko would be okay. It might be super overwhelming at first, but soon she’d be used to it.

When Keith dropped her off, Keiko skipped towards the her new assigned seat. A few other kids sat next to her, but they weren't screaming or anything. They were a bit loud because all kids do loud things, but they didn't hurt or bully his daughter. Her octopus was always next to her, providing support. She didn't look sad at all, but Keith still worried.

When she came out that same day, she had a small smile of her face. She gave Keith another hug, but no tears. It made his day. 

They got ice cream again, but instead of telling him about how they rude they were, she talked about how kind everyone was. She loved it as much as she loved her octopus. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wasn't it bad?


	13. Indefectible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got school issues  
> i might've not graduated on time bc this one professor made me drop so i gotta take it wintermester :/
> 
> I TRIED POSTING THIS SHIT FOUR TIMES LET ME POST U PIECE OF SHIT

Keith was sitting in his living room reading over a printed version of his route for his job when Keiko interrupted him, “Daddy, why don’t we ever have Ceci and her dad come over? Why do we always go to their house?”

“Because… well, our house isn’t the best for guests. We don’t really have a dining room to eat in… It’s a little embarrassing, but don’t tell them that, okay?”

“Can I get my own room? Ceci has her own room,” Keiko started making faces of childish manner, “It’s not fair.”

“We don’t have another room, sweetie,” Keith sighed, internally feeling like a bad parent. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford things for another room, it just was that there wasn’t enough room. There wasn’t anything available.

Keiko sat right next to him, “Can we get another room built?”

“We don’t have the means to do that. We don’t have any extra space outside to build it anyway. When you’re older, we’ll figure something out, but for right now, this is all we have. I wish you could get your own room, though.”

She pouted, accepting it. A moment or two went by and Keiko started to braid a strand of Keith’s hair that fell to her side, “What are you doing?”

“Checking to see where I have to go for my deliveries tomorrow. I have to go deliver cups to the ice cream shop, do you want me to bring anything home?”

“Yeah, bring a five gallon thing of ice cream,” She laughed.

Keith chuckled, “Maybe not that much.”

-

Cecilia was sitting in Lance’s lap as he was trying to figure something out. His job had new safety regulations even for the people working inside the laboratory. They usually did some kind of health check every year; however, this year, they were to be enforcing regulations on their workers. Lance usually failed them, but they never reduced his pay or fired him. This year was different. He could be losing his only source of income and it was the only thing he actually studied for. He even was in the middle of a revolutionary research study on octopuses, so this was frustrating.

He looked over his health check, reading everything it listed from blood work to mental health. He failed two different things: he was underweight and depression was still listed from all the previous years. He was high-functioning, but that didn’t matter. CPS or someone could possibly take his daughter away with this fucking health check. Lance didn’t know what to do.

His job told him that he had until the end of April to fix it. Mental health was an “outstanding” issue, as listed, but he wasn’t allowed to go on expeditions anymore due to being underweight by more than two kilos. It didn't make any sense to him; a lot of people at his job already had some kind of mental or physical issue, so why bother to even take their jobs away now? Pidge was a tech expert at the lab and she had mental health issues on her record, too. Was she going to get fired, too?

Cecilia just stared at all the packets of papers, there weren't any cool pictures to look at and Lance loved pictures, “Papa? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Don't worry about me, okay?” Lance leaned down and kissed her forehead. She giggled in response. Lance adored her so much, he needed her support right now. If he does ever lose his job, he can easily _try_ to find another; anything to support his own daughter. Maybe Keith could help him get a job at that company he worked at.

Later that day, Lance texted Keith about it.

You: i need ur help pls

♥️Keith♥️: what happened?

You: im gonna lose my job in a few months if i don't do something about it. according to this stupid ass health check, im not doing so well and to even continue doing research, i have to find a way to gain weight and get rid of my depression by april. october just ended yesterday, so most likely im gonna lose my job. i was wondering if u can help me find another job at ur company or something. i need to support cecilia no matter what, whether i lose my job or not

♥️Keith♥️: I can probably help you. I transitioned in the middle of going to college and to pass, I needed to gain muscle mass. I don't like saying “pass,” but it's just the truth- I'm gonna be honest about that. I don't have to pass, I'm a man regardless. Anyway, I’m assuming your job pays well, so I don't want you to lose it, especially over this. Exercising increases endorphins which can help fight your depression, too. Maybe after work, I can come over and we can do a few exercises with weights and stuff. On my brother's day off, maybe he can talk to you, he’s a doctor. Don't call it a doctor's visit because it's not.

You: babe, ur like,,,, the best!!!! thank you so much!!! i rly dont wanna lose my job like that. i mean, i paid my house off but everything else is such a hassle. idk if i can do this, tho. idk if i have the motivation to get started

♥️Keith♥️: I’ll be doing it with you, there isn't any judgement from me. I'm actually happy that you’re willing to do something now, but you didn't… have to wait until now to do something….

You: i've just been stuck, but this is like another wake up call. hunk told me i needed to do it for ceci and i have, but she deserves someone who actually has more energy to play with her and stuff. i want to be a better parent and person, im ready and im so happy to know you'll be with me the entire time

♥️Keith♥️: I don't want to destroy your spirit right now, but it's going to be a lot of hard work, because it isn't just physical. Of course you know this, you're a marine biologist.

You: i dont mind, babe,,,, i wanna do the work, but ehhhh- i dont have a choice do i? ur gonna come busting to my house to kick my ass aren't you?

♥️Keith♥️: You’re right, but I'm doing it because I care y'know.

You: thank you. i really mean it. i hate to keep bringing her up, but lauren's never done anything like this with me before. she's never cared enough and to see you care is just…. idk

♥️Keith♥️: Anything is worth it if I just get to see you smile.

You: ur a fucking sap ily when do we start

♥️Keith♥️: Tomorrow, I leave work early, so I can prep. Give me a time and I'll come.

You: pls dont kill me, but ill see u tomorrow. 5 pm is good, i just nap rly. i gotta make dinner so ill text u later k?

♥️Keith♥️: I'll be waiting.

Lance felt his heart flutter; all hope was _not_ lost and it was due to his amazing, buff boyfriend. Okay, so Keith wasn't the most muscular guy in the world, but he was in _great_ shape. Lance was envious, but really, he was pleased. He hated to admit it, though; Keith was just too good. Lance sighed, staring at Keith's last text. It was motivation and he was being supported; he was finally free.

Cecilia was sitting around the living room watching TV by the time he got downstairs to the kitchen. He smiled, watching her focus on what they were saying. He was so proud of her; she had put up with his depressive behavior for so long. She deserved a better life and now he was definitely motivated to do it. It all started with this dinner, but he actually had to make it. Yikes.

He started to chop and prep, thinking of ways to convince himself to eat more. He never had the energy to eat, but he wasn't on a diet, so this shouldn't be hard, right? It was hard. He usually just ate one full meal a day and _maybe_ a snack. He needed to make it to three and he needed to attempt to eat the entire thing. He had chicken and vegetables grilling at the moment and he also had a bag of hamburger buns. A sandwich??? Would that work??? Could he add anything? He found potato chips and added those to his plate. It seemed small, everything hiding under a bun, but the chips made it look complete. He wasn't a chef or knew very much about nutrition, but it was a start. Opening the fridge, he found a jar of pickles, so he took a wedge out and dumped it on his plate. Where was Hunk when you needed him?

Cecilia noticed Lance actually doing stuff in the kitchen instead of standing there for a few minutes to do everything. She was surprised, he was kind of like the people in the cooking shows she watched. She ran over to see what he was doing and saw more food than usual on his plate. Lance already ate lunch, so two meals and more food? That was something.  She stole a potato chip, “Are you really that hungry? You're never hungry.”

Lance sighed, she must've noticed how bad his habits really were. Him eating two meals in a day? For her to say that was a lot, there was clearly an issue. He picked her up from the stool she managed to get on and chuckled, “Papa's finally going to take care of himself.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, “I'm happy for you. I don't like seeing you sad.”

“Don't worry about it anymore, okay? It's going to be better. Just wait a bit longer and we'll finally be happy,” He hugged her back for a moment or so before realizing that his chicken was burning. Fuck.

-

Lance came home from work the next day thinking about what to wear for their workout session. He sighed, looking at all of his old high school and college gym clothes. He picked out a relatively unused high school shirt from senior year and cringed at the font used on the shirt. It was better than the shirt from junior year, though. It listed his division and part on the swim team and he remembered a few things from those times. Track and swim were fun, but now it wasn't about fun. That was sucky part, but there was goal unlike high school. Picking out some shorts from another section of clothes, he sighed. He didn't want to work out; looking on Instagram and seeing the number of reps and sets some of these workouts had… was just discouraging. Keith was gonna be there the entire time, but still… using weights and waiting for results sucked.

He sat down in the living room with Cecilia, waiting for Keith to come. A few minutes later, Keith appeared and knocked on the door. Opening the door for his lover, Lance noticed Keith's excited smile. He paused, “You must find some kind of joy in seeing me struggle.”

Keith laughed, “No, don't even start. It'll be fun, I promise, but you gotta bother to do it, okay?”

“Fine. Did you bring weights or something?” Lance pouted, not really expecting much.

The man nodded, running back to his car to fetch Keiko and to bring down a few things. Lance was in awe; Keith was carrying probably a hundred pounds of dumbbells. Keiko followed Keith as he went into Lance's living room carrying all of those weights. Lance was more surprised that she considered all of the dumbbells normal.

Cecilia ran off with Keiko leaving the fathers to deal with the workout gear. Keith carefully put everything on the floor and looked at everything. Realizing he forgot something, Keith ran back to his car and came back with a small bag. Curious, Lance questioned the bag, hearing the jingle of pills in a bottle, “You don't have crazy testosterone boosting pills in there, do you?”

Keith rolled his eyes, “Of course not. I'm not planning on killing you. I did bring some kind of pill.”

He handed Lance a bottle of vitamins, “Take these. The cheaper vitamin pills don’t contain much nutrients, but I found these. They have minerals and vitamins that most tend to leave out. You look a bit malnourished, so these might help a bit.”

“Oh cool. Thanks, man,” Lance started to read the label, reading up all the stuff it had, “It has enzymes. I didn't know that you could get enzymes in a vitamin.”

“I take the same ones because they had a two for one sale at the health food store on Central and Main,” Keith shrugged, changing the topic of their conversation, “Today, I wanna focus on educating you. You can't start what you don't know right?”

Lance nodded, “I mean, yeah? You’re going to explain what all of these things are, right?”

“Yeah,” Keith started to organize all the stuff he brought into different categories. He pat the floor next to himself trying to get Lance to sit with him. “I bought a few dumbbells, a resistance band, these metal weight disk thingies.”

Lance sat next to him, “Do they not have a name?”

“The disks do, but do I know it? No, I just use it,” That was very blunt, “Because our goal is just to gain healthy weight including both muscle and fat, you need to limit cardio because that burns both muscle and fat which is what we're looking for.”

Lance nodded, “So like, I don't have to run laps?”

“Nope, don't even bother,” Keith handed him a five pound dumbbell, “Weights are your best friend here. You gain more muscle for your body type by lifting heavy. We might not be at a gym, but you're still starting out, so going to the gym for heavier weights will come at a later date.”

Lance looked at this dumbbells feeling feebleminded, “How long is it going to take?”

“Depends,” Keith wasn't given to lie to him about this, “We need to talk diet in a few minutes, too.”

Lance groaned; he _knew_ Keith was going to mention something about it, “I'm doing the best I can right now.”

“I know, but in the future, like next week, we gotta do something about it.”

“It isn't too late to start, right?”

“No. It's never too late to start. We just actually have to start which most people don't do.”

“Okay, well, let's do this.”

Keith smiled, handing him the other five pound dumbbell, “We're going to do a few light arm and chest exercises, okay?”

“Tell me if I have myself in a wrong position, okay?” Lance took up the other dumbbell, raising them into the air.

“Alright. I'll start counting, okay?” Keith got into position and waited for Lance to do the same. Surprisingly, Lance was in the correct position. Based on that alone, Keith was able to count.

By the time the workout was over, Lance felt a bit better about everything. It wasn't as bad as he thought and Keith keeping track and stopping when Lance needed a break was helpful. Lance started to check the time by a clock on the wall and grimaced, “It's already seven and I still haven't made dinner.”

“Order something. I'll help you create a healthy plate from what they have. It won't be too much, I promise. We're taking things slow.”

“You wanna eat dinner with us then?” Lance smiled, hoping Keith would say yes.

“Sure, so what are you in the mood for?”

“I want a burrito. Chipotle maybe?”

“They deliver?”

“Yeah, the one in town delivers.”

“I guess we both learned something new today.”

By the time they ordered and their food came, both parents were laughing at some dumb TV show. They really enjoyed their time together despite actually trying to achieve something. When they started to unpack all of the food from the bags, Lance called the girls over to eat. Sitting down at the kitchen table felt more natural and family-like than previous instances in the dining room.

Both of them started to realize how much of a family they were creating just by sitting down together and hearing about each other's day. The girls talked to each other, their parents and vise versa. It felt so odd to have a complete, whole family even though it wasn't technically real. Was it a great experience? Yes.

-

Next Saturday, Lance had to cancel his date with Keith because his friends had been wanting to hear the whole story between the two of them. Keith was disheartened to hear that their date was cancelled, but just assumed that everything was okay. Lance was excited since he hadn't sat down and talked to them for a while, but he really enjoyed his time with Keith; however, Keith had been coming over everyday to workout with him.

Finding his way down the street to Hunk's restaurant, Lance was lingering on the questions his friends might ask. He hoped they didn't have doubts about Keith like what happened with Lauren. If they didn't support his relationship with Keith, then maybe he needed to consider his options.

Being greeted at the door by Hunk, Lance carried his daughter inside with him. He found all his friends waiting at a private table for the both of them and smiled. They all seemed curious; Lance was smiling and looked actually happy. They hadn’t seen Lance like that in years. It was so refreshing.

“Lance, we haven’t seen you in so long. How are things?” Allura greeted him, “You seem… a lot happier than before.”

“I met someone,” Lance replied quietly, trying to not to bring attention to the whole situation; however, he knew it was going to be about that very topic whether he wanted to talk about it or not. He placed Cecilia in a high chair next to his own and sighed. She shrugged, not trying to be a nosey little kid.

Pidge made a face, “You make it so subtle, yet you talk about him all the time in the middle of working.”

Embarrassed, Lance tried to deter her words, “You don’t know that.”

“I’m the person you talk to while working,” His co-worker grunted, “How do you feel about that stupid health check. Are you going quit or something?”

Lance shook his head, “Nope. I got my special someone to help me out. By April, I’ll be buff as hell. Just watch.”

Hunk came to the table to drop off a few plates and joked, “I don’t think Keith is much of a bodybuilder now.”

Allura was somewhat shocked, “You’re dating Keith?”

“Yeah?” Lance looked baffled, “He works with you?”

“Yes, he does. He’s the deliveryman who left because he had a child or something. Replacing him was definitely some hard labor; I’m so grateful he’s back. I probably wouldn’t have made it another week.”

Lance remembered what Keith told him a few weeks back; Keith had his baby unknowingly _and_ he was the deliveryman that came by his house every day that Lauren ordered something. He didn’t really acknowledge that until now; Lance just never sat down and thought about it. That must’ve been tough, Keith finding out that he had a kid while working. Lauren didn’t have to suffer with that at all; they had resources and everything. Keith just had a job that probably paid just a bit more than minimum wage. His heart sunk just a bit, Lance didn’t know how Keith did it as a parent. It made him feel more guilty that he wasn’t able to do much with his daughter despite the fact that he had multiple resources and a family. All Keith had was an older brother who worked in a hospital still probably paying off student loans.

His friends started to notice his long face and tried lighten the mood. Hunk spoke up, “So, have all of your dates been good?”

Lance nodded, his voice softening, “Yeah, Keith is really sweet and funny. He always puts a smile on my face without even trying. He’s hot and has patience for me. He’s not very patient, but he cares so much. He’s a great father and I don’t know how he does it. I love him so much. I wish you guys could meet him. He's… much better than Lauren.”

“Who's Lauren?” Cecilia reached over to pull on his sleeve, “You and Mr. Keith aren't together???” She looked so painfully confused.

Her father soon realized he couldn't just say whatever he wanted around her anymore; she was old enough to understand things now. Fuck. Biting his lip, he tried to answer correctly, “I don't want to lie to you, sweetheart. Lauren is your mother.”

“Where is she? Can I see her?” She pulled harder on Lance's shirt, demanding an answer.

The table grew quiet, not sure how Lance would answer. He finally, after a moment or so, answered, “She's in a _better_ place right now. You can't see her until you go there, too.”

“When will I go?”

“Hopefully not soon.”

“What?”

“Nothing, baby. Don't worry about it. Just know that Lauren, Mr. Keith, and I, all love you very much.”

Cecilia let go of Lance's sleeve, feeling more confused about the entire situation. If Lauren was her mother, why was she gone? How did Lance know that Lauren loved her? What was she like? How was Mr. Keith any better?

Lance saw her little face scrunch up in bewilderment, so he picked her up from the chair and gave her a big, tight hug, “It's okay. I'll explain it to you one day, okay?”

“Okay,” Cecilia just took his comfort with a grain of salt. That didn't help at all. She just wanted to know her mother. That's all she wanted.

Putting her back into her chair, Lance sighed. Pidge was somewhat impressed by how Lance handled the situation since it was in public, “You've become a better member of society today.”

Lance rolled his eyes, “C'mon, man. You're making me feel like I'm fifty.”

“You know, being a mature person doesn't have to mean you’re old,” Allura commented, “You don't look any older than thirty, if I had to guess.”

“I’m still in my twenties, thank you very much,” He huffed, taking a drink of his water.

Hunk chuckled, but then cleared his throat, “I hate to interrupt, but are we ever going to sit down and meet Keith? I don't want this to be another… situation.”

Lance noticed how he avoiding saying Lauren. Cecilia was paying attention to everything they were saying, her little head kept bouncing back and forth to whoever was talking. He couldn't help but smile at her innocent demeanor, “I could call him and ask if he could come right now. He doesn't plan anything else for Saturdays. We organize just dates for Saturdays, so he's probably bored at home. I think Cecilia would love to have a playmate right now.”

“You're gonna call Mr. Keith?”

“Yeah, he's gonna bring Keiko. You wanna see her?”

She nodded; she adored her playmate. They had a lot of a fun together whether their fathers were busy or not. Lance pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and started to dial Keith's number. After three rings, Keith finally answered. As they talked and finalized the meeting, everyone at the table saw the hearts in Lance's eyes. When Lance hung up, Pidge rolled her eyes, “You know, Keith might a nervous wreck once he sees us. You never mentioned that we’d be here.”

“I kinda did. I told him I would be with you guys and I didn’t want to bug him about coming with me, but I have a feeling he knows. He’s probably gonna try to impress you guys,” Anxious, Lance tried to bring up a different topic, “Hey, so how are things with you guys?”

“I was thinking about going back into the dating scene. Ever since I broke up with Lotor a while back, I took a dating break. I want to see if maybe I can find someone else,” Allura said, “I don’t have much else to do besides office work, so I’m not completely bothered by the idea of dating.”

Pidge shrugged, “Dating just isn’t for me. Too many lame guys and girls my age aren’t really available right now. Matt said he was going to visit with my mom and dad for Christmas instead of me going out to fly to them.”

“I was thinking we could all come together for some kind of potluck or Christmas party,” Hunk grew excited, “I can bring some food and we can meet up.”

“Why don’t we meet at my house? It’s big enough for all of us and we have a great ocean view,” Lance suggested, “Don’t forget. Cecilia’s birthday is on the twentieth of next month. We don’t accept double birthday/Christmas gifts. Separate only.”

“How old will she be?” Allura asked, “I didn’t realize how many years had passed since she was born.”

“I’m gonna be four,” Cecilia giggled, “We’re gonna have a party with cake!”

Hunk pulled out a small notepad and started to write down what he needed for the cake he was going to make her. She was such a lovely girl, he didn’t mind making a cake just for her birthday. Lance immediately noticed what he was doing and softly smiled, “My little girl is turning four. Soon she’ll grow up and leave me.”

“I won’t leave you,” She pulled on his sleeve again, “Just don’t go away like my mom did.”

Lance couldn’t believe what she said, “Um, I doubt that I’ll go like that.”

Geez, he didn’t know how complicated this would be. A curious little girl was a horror for trying to explain serious topics. Pidge laughed, knowing that Lance didn’t want to deal with this again, “So when is this ‘Keith’ guy coming?”

“In a few minutes. Don’t worry, he’s usually really fast. He actually gets things done. He isn’t lazy; trust me. He voluntarily wakes up at five in the morning,” Lance shook his head, “He’s crazy like that.”

After a few more minutes, Keith finally arrived with Keiko in his arms. Lance went up to greet him with Hunk and brought him to the table with the rest of Lance's “gang.” Keith felt a bit uncomfortable sitting around these people. He didn't know anyone besides Hunk and he didn't even greet Allura at work. He had set Keiko down next to Cecilia and only wondered if they were okay with this.

Sitting around in a fancy looking restaurant just to hang out was odd. Keith didn't understand this friend group's dynamic yet and just stared at Lance. Lance held his hand under the table and smiled, “Hey, let me introduce you to my friends.”

Gesturing to each of his friends, Lance went down the name list, “This is Hunk, you already know that. This is Pidge, it's a nickname. She's pretty cool and works with me. You know Allura, she's pretty awesome and had a cool accent.”

Keith greeted all of them and shook hands, trying to be friendly, “It's nice to meet y'all.”

Pidge made a face, “Y-You're Texan, aren't you?”

“Yeah. What about it?” He felt a bit out of place now.

“You said 'y'all.’ That's the most Texan thing I've heard in years.”

Hunk laughed, “Don't mind her. She picks random things up, so how are you?”

“I'm good,” Keith didn't know what else to say, “Uh, and you… guys?” He hesitated on the “guys” part.

“Fine,” They all said in unison, not making it a big deal.

Lance cringed, “C'mon! This is the lamest conversation I've ever heard. Keith, babe, tell them about yourself.”

“My name is Keith, I work for a small company kinda like Amazon. I live with my older brother and have a daughter. I like to ride my motorcycle sometimes when I have a chance-” Lance interrupted him.

“You have a _motorcycle_???? Why haven't you told me?” Lance was more shook than anything.

Keith internally panicked, “I thought I did?”

“You need to drive me out with it someday.”

“Alright. I'm down.”

Hunk made a face of disapproval, recording this information in his mental storage bank. Keith looked familiar, he sounded familiar, and he said a few random things. His daughter looked like a certain friend of his, too. He wasn't going to say anything now, though.

Lance smiled, telling his friends how they met, “Okay, so we met at the beach, thanks to Cecilia. Thanks to her bad habit of running off when I say not to, she ran into Keith's daughter. Keith was with her, obviously, but he was so kind. He didn't yell at me or anything.”

Keith listened to everything he was saying, kind of embarrassed by the idea of being “kind” and “generous.” Allura caught on, “So you were brought to him, weren’t you? I kind of didn’t really see Keith as the kind of person to go to the beach.”

“Um, the beach is right there,” Keith pointed outside, “Why wouldn't I go?”

“I guess you're right,” Allura made a face, feeling a bit outsmarted.

Hunk also took note of this; Keith wasn't really being himself at all. Was Lance around this Keith all the time? Lance lit up, “Other parents yell at me for Cecilia running after their kid, and he didn't??? It meant, like, so much to me! And he even let his own daughter play with mine without making a fuss and making me feel like a bad parent, but he's like, so much more of a better parent than I am.”

“Lance, please, I'm _not_ better than you when it comes to parenting,” Keith sighed, “Parenting is different for everyone and one way might not work for all kids. Our kids are literal opposites, so me trying to tell Cecilia something the way I tell Keiko might not work in the same fashion. Both of our girls are super smart, though.”

Pidge approved of that, so she nodded, “Don't tell me you got that off a parenting website. It's sound like a copy-paste to me.”

Keith felt outed, “Well, I don't know what I'm doing most of the time, so I had to do research.”

“I mean, what you did isn't exactly wrong,” Pidge pushed her glasses back to the bridge of her nose, “Lance, I approve. He's kind of smart.”

Allura shrugged, “He isn't doing anything offensive or stupid. I approve.”

Keith grew concerned, “Is this… a game???”

“N-No, they just worry after the incident,” Lance tried to not worry Keith. Hunk also caught wind of this; however, he didn't comment.

Lance also noticed his lack in voice and sighed; Hunk didn't approve. For Hunk, it wasn't that Keith was a bad person, but it was obvious that Keith was hiding something. He knew he was hiding something that could possibly ruin their relationship. Hunk didn't want to tell Lance just yet, so if Lance asked, he wasn't going to answer him. Hunk was Lance's all time best friend besides Keith; however, he didn't know what to believe in. Hunk's disapproval or Keith's social anxiety? Keith wasn't being himself due to being a bit shy and anxious like his daughter sometimes. Hunk felt a lot of things and had great intuition. Lance felt broken inside and looked down at his empty glass of water.

Keith, still holding his hand under the table, started to rub his thumb soothingly over Lance's hand. It was soft, gentle, and understanding. Keith moved over slightly to whisper something into his ear, “Hey, it's going to be okay. Everyone here loves you. No matter what happens, it'll be okay. Trust in love, no matter what kind. It might end up being all the love a person could get… Even if it’s not my own love. ”

Lance smiled, reaching over to whisper in his ear, “I love you so much. No person will ever make me stop loving you. I have never felt happier in my life.”

The three other friends and the girls stared. It was a bit awkward to say the very least. They both looked so happy, though. Hunk sighed, not wanting to see Lance get crushed again, but he also didn't want to see Lance be alone and depressed again if Keith left now. He didn't know what to do and he noticed that Keith didn't either. Both of their goals were just trying to make Lance happy, so Hunk left it at that… or well, for now.

After the meeting, Lance and Keith both went to the parking lot, carrying their daughters. They both kind of stood there in silence, wanting to say something, but alas they didn't. Lance finally spoke up, “This is aside from the little meeting, but I kinda want to ask this now. Would it be okay if you lived with me from now on? I have a big house and it feels so empty and creepy when only two of us live there. If you want to, can you… at least stay over again for tonight. I mean, you keep staying over and I adore it, but I want it to be… for real. I don't want it to feel like a fake family because you leave right after. I love our little family and it want it to feel like one.”

Keith tried to comprehend what Lance was saying. After a moment, he chuckled, “Of course. I'd love to move in with you. Just give me another day to think about it, but I'll stay over the night again. I need to head back to my house for clean clothes, but I'll definitely be over. I guess I better get going to make it there early.”

“Alright,” Lance kissed his cheek, “Come home soon.”

Keith felt blood rushing to his face, “I will.”

Both of them started to buckle in their kids and started to drive away. Despite the crappy meeting, both of them felt more confident with each other. They truly did understand each other. By the time Keith and Keiko made it home, changed clothes, and left, Lance was already working on dinner for tonight.

They were happy, the girls were happy, and everything felt warm and _real_. Maybe everything was changing for the better.

-

Shiro finally came home from another long shift, hoping to see Keith again. His younger brother and niece were never home at night anymore. Keith always sat down at the kitchen table, waiting for Shiro to come home and feed him something other than a frozen TV dinner. The house felt lonely without Keith and Keiko living in the house; however Shiro couldn't complain. Keith and Keiko were happy and it was with two other people.

 

The man pulled out a package from the freezer, reading the instructions on the back. He dumped the plastic container into the microwave and set the timer for two minutes. Sitting down and watching the timer countdown, Shiro started to fiddle with his fingers. Keith hadn't texted him in a while and he hadn't left any evidence of being there besides his room being in a complete mess. Shiro wasn't surprised at this point, Keith needed to come and change clothes. Looking around the room and into the living room, he didn't see any crayons or toys. Keiko must've brought her own stuff back and forth, too.

 

Shiro just assumed this “Lance” man was a good person. Keith _did_ say that he was the father of his child. Did Keiko or Lance know yet? They aren't engaged at all, so was this just some kind of fling? He knew Keith was more responsible than that, but still, everyone makes mistakes. Was he just assuming the worst because he missed Keith? Yes. He could already see the disappointment in Keith's face. He sighed, noticing that the microwave already beeped a minute ago. Taking it out, he started eating.

 

His icy cold, rock-hard mac and cheese didn't help at all, so he texted Keith.

 

You: Hey!! We haven't talked in a while. Are you okay???

 

Keith: Yeah, I was just about to put the girls to bed. I've never been better. We should hang out sometime!

 

You: I'd really like that. I hate asking, but is it possible that I can meet Lance?

 

Keith: It's completely fine. He's been meaning to talk to you.

 

You: Really???

 

Keith: Yeah, I don't know why, though. He seems nervous, but he means well.

 

You: Well, tell him that I'll be happy to see him. I'm going to take a full day off soon. I'll tell you when. We all can meet up one day.

 

Keith: That sounds perfect. I miss you. I never see you anymore.

 

You: You're getting your life on track. I'm getting old anyway. Don't worry about me.

 

Keith: But you're still my family.

 

You: But you also have a family of your own, don't you?

 

Keith: I guess, but I still want to see you.

 

You: Listen, I didn't want to tell you this, but I'm going to retire in about 2-3 years. We'll be able to see each other more often. I promise.

 

Keith: That'd be really nice, though. Why now? You're still a very young doctor. You have like 20 more years in front of you career wise.

 

You: I don't like working all day and barely being able to see my family. I still want to find a partner of my own, you know.

 

Keith: You're never too old to do something, so I'd recommend to get on it. Just finish paying student loans. That'll kill you later if you don't.

 

You: You're right, that's why I'm staying a few more years. Don't worry about it, just get some sleep okay? Good night!!!

 

Keith: Good night. Good luck at work tomorrow.

 

Shiro finished his disgusting macaroni and cheese and threw the container away. He hated the taste, but there was nothing he could do. Sighing, he went to bed, only to be reminded that he was ultimately alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit is gonna go down next chapter  
> it's winter and cold
> 
> SORRY FOR NOT REPLYING TO COMMENTS I CRI 
> 
> i finally got my hands on kirby star allies  
> IT'S A GOOD GAME!! I GOT 100%!!!!  
> i might make kirby refs next chapter


	14. Suitable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE COMMENT!!! I SPENT ONLY THREE DAYS WRITING THIS AND IM TIRED!!!! sorry it's Christmas themed  
> yes ik Latin American Christmas is different,,, ik im fucking Hispanic ™.

Keith woke up next to Lance again, adoring the warmth coming from his side. It seemed to be everyday. Everyday they would share this moment of bliss. Lance rolled over to the left, facing Keith with a smile. Keith brushed his hand through Lance’s hair, getting a better look at his bright, blue eyes. Despite not being married, they were bonded. It wasn’t exactly a short amount of time; however, it wasn’t a full year. Lance had one thing in mind once he saw Keith’s sleepy grin; marriage. It had been a few weeks ever since Keith moved in with him and Christmas was coming closer and closer. He wanted to propose at their small party. Lance needed two things before he was able to propose; a ring and some kind of approval from Shiro. Keith talked about Shiro all the time like how much he missed him and how he was planning to meet up with him soon, so it was only fair to get his approval. 

By the time Keith was planning to meet up with Shiro, Lance tagged along; they met at a café not too far away from town square. Keith was so excited to meet up with him; nonetheless, Lance was sweating buckets. Keith ordered two, small black coffees and soon saw Shiro in the corner of the store. Keith left Lance with waiting for the order before walking up to Shiro. They both greeted each other and Lance felt elated for them. They saw each other everyday and now they didn’t; he didn’t blame them for being excited. Since Keiko was in school, Lance carried around Cecilia, but it was still too early for her to be bouncing around. She rested against his chest, comforted by his warmth. He suddenly remembered that her birthday was coming up in a week. He couldn’t believe it; his baby was already going to be four. 

He stood there for a minute or two, reflecting, before picking up the coffees and bringing them to the table where the two brothers sat. Lance stared at Shiro for a moment, realizing how Shiro could potentially kill him with a punch. Was he a bit terrified? Yeah, but Shiro was also hot and smiled back. He handed Keith his coffee and set his own down at the table. Sitting down, he tried making conversation, “It’s super cold outside, am I right? I’m not from here, so I’m not used to it. I’m Lance, by the way.” He stuck out his free hand and tried to shake Shiro’s.

Shiro took his hand and nodded, “We’re both from Texas, so this weather is absolutely freezing. I guess we’re all bundled up. I’m Takashi, but call me Shiro, please.”

“It's an honor to meet you. I've heard so much about you,” Lance gestured to his daughter, all wrapped up in warm sweaters and coats, “She’s so cold right now. I’d get her tea or hot chocolate, but she’s napping. Don’t mind her.”

“What’s her name?”

“Cecilia,” Lance softly brushed a bit of her hair to the side, “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me… besides Keith, of course.”

Keith laughed, “Don’t be silly. Our girls are so much more important than us.”

“You’re not  _ wrong _ ,” Lance sipped his coffee, accidently burning his tongue. He made a face before trying to contain himself.

“So how are the both of you?” Shiro was drinking some kind of tea, swirling it around in his cup, “It’s been a while, so…”

“Lance and I are doing fine. I think… both of us doing so much better than before,” Keith glanced at Lance for a second or two before looking down at his coffee, “It feels right.”

“Um, if you don’t mind me saying anything, Sir, but I think we complete each other. I feel like I wish I met him sooner,” Keith looked so pained as soon as Lance said that. Shiro saw it immediately and sighed.

Lance didn’t see Keith’s expression and assumed the worst from Shiro. The elder spoke up, “I’m happy for the both of you. From what Keith tells me, you’ve had it a bit rough these past few years?”

“Yeah, my wife passed away when she,” Lance gestured to Cecilia again, “was born. I was so heartbroken, but after awhile I realized that she definitely wasn’t the right one for me. She was controlling and made me feel like a bad husband and father, but everything is okay now. I feel like I can take on the world.”

“What’s your profession? Do you like doing your job?”

“Absolutely! I’m a marine biologist and I work in the building right up on that hill. It’s, like, a five minute walk from my house. I used to go out on a boat and do research, but I’ve been a little busy, so I just do research up in the lab.”

Keith listened to everything Lance was saying. Surprised by how well Lance took Shiro’s questions, he felt proud. His boyfriend was a good, hard-working man and he hoped Shiro could see that. He knew Shiro did, though. 

“I know Keith can be a handful; he does a lot of crazy stuff that I apologize for in advance. I’m surprised you can tolerate him, but thank you for taking care of him and his daughter for this long. I haven’t been there for them, but I know that you love them like family. I haven’t seen Keith so happy in years,” Shiro was understanding and gentle with his words, despite Keith’s outlash. 

“Don’t talk about me as if I wasn’t here, you old man,” Keith grunted, “You’re trying to act so confident and mature about this, but really? This conversation is stressing me out. I love both you and Lance. I hope you can do the same.”

“I do, though,” Shiro sipped more of his tea, “I’m trying my hardest to be that replaceable father figure in this situation! I don’t know what I’m doing!”

Lance sighed, “So was this entire conversation is just you trying to be cool?”

“Maybe,” The man shrugged, “I’m not gonna admit it, though.”

“Look, Keiko’s school is a short walk away and I need to pick her up now. I’ll be right back,” Keith groaned, getting up and walking outside in the snow. Lance just felt threatened and yet there was no threat.  

Lance made sure Keith was completely gone before looking to Shiro nervously, “Hey, um, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yeah?”

“My friends and I are having a Christmas party, and I want to propose to Keith there. He’s the love of my life and has helped me more than anyone else has. I wanted your approval or blessing. Anything, please,” Lance begged for Shiro's positive words, almost getting on his knees for this. 

Shiro internally panicked.  _ This _ is what Keith told him he wanted to talk to him about? He gulped, “Well, you seem like a nice guy and Keith talks about you all the time. I’m going to be honest, Keith is either going to reject you or say yes almost immediately. I don’t know if he’s going to say yes or no, but I’d say go ahead. He really does love you, though.”

“Am I getting your blessing?”

“I thought that was an obvious yes?” Shiro sighed, “I’m only going to tell you good luck. His ring size is about a seven or an eight if you’re wondering.” 

“Thank you so much,” Lance so close to tears, “I can’t live without him at this point. Thank you! I could kiss you right now, but I’m  _ not _ that crazy, I promise!”

Shiro tried to calm him down, “You’ll wake up your daughter, calm down!” 

“I-I am very calm,” Lance took a deep breath before going back to coffee for a sip, “I just have to get a simple ring. Simple. Simple. Simple.”

Shiro shook his head, “Keith will love it either way, you know he doesn’t care.”

“Still, though. He deserves the nicest, yet simplest thing out there. He’s  _ that _ good,” Lance internally cried, “Also, I don't know if you're busy, but can you please come to the Christmas party? It'd mean a lot to us, especially Keith.”

“I can probably find some time to come. How many people are coming?”

“Pidge's family, Hunk and his own small family, Allura, Keith and I, and now maybe you?” Lance tried to list the people there, “It's more of a family than an adult event.” 

“I’ll be there, don't worry about it. I just hope we don't all get snowed in or something. We had a blizzard the other day. All of us were stuck in the hospital, so we all slept there until the next day.”

“Being snowed in sucks,” Lance groaned, thinking about how cold it would later on this year.

Keith ran inside the coffee shop again, Keiko bundled up inside of his jacket. Making his way to the table where his Lance and Shiro sat, he started to unzip his coat, releasing Keiko. She handed her backpack to Keith and ran up to Shiro, giving him a big hug, “Uncle Shiro! I missed you!” 

Shiro hugged her back, picking her up, “How are ya this cold afternoon?”

“Cold,” She laughed, turning to Lance. She waved before turning to Keith. Her entire family was here! That was super rare. Keith sat down and set Keiko's backpack on the table, “Did y'all talk about something while I was gone or?”

“Yeah we did, he's coming to the Christmas party,” Lance smiled, “We'll have our entire gang there. Lots of food, fun, and my fireplace.”

Keith put a hand suggestively on Lance's shoulder, “I can't wait to spend Christmas with you... guys. It feels weird to spend this holiday as a family.”

“What about Ceci’s birthday?” Keiko tried grabbing Keith’s coffee cup to see if anything was in there. There wasn’t.

Keith took the cup from her hands, “Well, we’re gonna have a small party for just us.”

“We need to buy presents,” Keiko pouted, “I wanna pick something out.”

Lance tried his hardest to not wake Cecilia up, “How about you and I go buy a few gifts for Ceci and Keith can watch over her while we go? It has to be a surprise, obviously.”

“Okay,” She smiled, “I want hot chocolate.”

Shiro set her down in a chair next to him and got up, “I’ll get you some. You want peppermint or the normal one.”

“Peppermint.”

“Awesome. Should I get something for Cecilia for when she wakes up?”

Lance looked down at Cecilia who was more sleepy than asleep, “Yeah. Please. I’ll pay for it, it’s fine.”

“No, please, it’s something for my nieces.”

Lance was a bit speechless, thinking about the concept of Shiro being around for the girls. Keith caught on, “What?”

Shiro chuckled, getting in line at the front of the store. Keith glared at Shiro before turning to Lance, “What was that all about?”

“Nothing, babe. Don't worry about it,” He gave Keith a cheeky grin, avoiding the true answer.

Cecilia slowly woke up, looking up at Lance, “Papa?”

Lance looked down at her again, “Hello,  _ mija _ . How was your nap?”

“Mmn,” She didn't answer him, but slowly pushed him away in order to stretch, “It's cold.”

“Yeah, it is, baby. It'll be okay, though. We'll go home soon and get the fireplace ready,” Lance kissed her cheek. She giggled, finally waking up completely. He set her down on the ground and she ran up to Keiko as soon as she saw her. 

They both started chatting up a storm that neither parent understood. Baby intonation didn't make sense sometimes, despite being around it all the time. Shiro came back and set the two hot chocolates on the table. 

Cecilia turned to him, confused, “Who is he?”

“My brother,” Keith responded, “He got you something.”

She went up to him, looking up. He was tall. Very tall. She didn't mean to stare, but she was in complete awe. He handed her a normal hot chocolate, “Here. It's regular hot chocolate, I didn't know if you liked peppermint or not. My name is Shiro. Call me Uncle Shiro, okay?”

She took the hot chocolate, smiling, “Thank you, Uncle Shiro.” 

Shiro felt like his heart exploded; his two cute little nieces made his day. Keiko swiftly grabbed the second cup, smelling for peppermint. She took a sip before burning her tongue. Lance grabbed her cup and removed the lid, “Let it cool down before drinking it, okay?”

She nodded, slightly offended by the hot chocolate. Cecilia laughed, putting her own cup on the table and removing the lid. 

Shiro pulled up another chair next to the table to let the girls sit properly, “The girls are so cute. I'm glad they get along. Maybe one day I can have a child of my own.”

Keith looked at him sadly, “You'll find someone one day. Don't worry about it.”

“I won't. I have you and two little girls to worry about.”

“Are you implying that I'm a child?” 

“Maybe.”

Lance laughed, earning a glare from Keith. Keith made a face of disapproval, “I haven't done reckless stuff since Keiko was born.”

“You tried to make a snow mountain for the girls to sled on. You made so steep that it touched the roof. If you weren't paying attention and they snuck out, they could've died! You didn't even bother to take it down! I came home to find it in my driveway!”

Shiro snickered, “He has a habit of doing things without thinking. I apologize.”

Keith sighed, “Okay, okay. You guys can stop laughing at me now. I thought it'd be cool to sled on, but I guess it isn't kid safe.”

“Keith… If you tried to sled on it, I'm pretty sure you'd die due to a head injury because you'd forget a helmet.”

“I'd remember a helmet,” He muttered, feeling insulted.

“I am definitely not willing to treat you if that happens, even though I legally can't,” He shrugged, “Be careful, Keith. You are in charge of two little lives and their caretaker. You.”

Keith nodded, “I know. I know.”

Familiar ams wrapped around Keith's waist, “I'll miss you if you die of stupidity.”

Keiko pointed at Lance, “He said a bad word!”

“Baby, it's not a bad word, but you aren't allowed to say it until you're older, okay?” Keith groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Stupid rule,” Cecilia laughed, knowing fully what she just did.

Lance gasped, “Oh no! My baby has to go to jail now? What? I'll miss you! The police will take you away!”

“Stupid police!” She owo'd and started to carefully sip her hot chocolate.

Shiro hadn't seen the family dynamic until now and saw a healthy relationship and family. He was… a bit envious, but overall happy for them. He couldn't wait to see Keith's face on Christmas day.

-

Keith decided to stay home on Cecilia's birthday as well as Lance. They made birthday waffles and added a lot of sprinkles. Cecilia was super excited about her waffles and ate all of her birthday breakfast. 

They had a few gifts ready for her, courtesy of Lance and Keiko. Keith had a special little gift ready just for her that he had been working on finding for the last few days. 

Hunk was going to bring over a small cake and presents from all of their friends since they couldn't make it. Cecilia was excited to see this cake. All of Hunk's cakes were beautiful and delicious. She didn't understand how he made them, but he always added some kind of magic. Keith called it vanilla bean, but Cecilia was definitely sure that Hunk put fairy dust. Secretly, Keith was pretty sure Hunk sold his soul to the devil for his secret baking recipes and the amazing taste. 

Dinner was approaching at this point and Lance was working his hardest in the kitchen to work as quickly as possible. Keith helped, of course, but still  It was special, so they worked harder than usual to make this fancy dish. It was one of Cecilia's favorites; a family recipe coming from Lance's mom, the true chef. 

Both girls were sitting at the kitchen table, watching them form stuffed balls of potato. Keith was stirring some rice while Lance worked on some beans. It was turning out just fine, but these balls took forever.

“Papa, what are those called?” Cecilia loved them so much, but didn't know the proper name.

Lance laughed, “Papas rellenas. Stuffed potato balls. Y'know… You don't say Papá while talking to me, so you're calling me a potato. You call me 'Papa’ which is potato.”

“You get all mushy sometimes, so you're a potato,” She giggled, “Papas are good, though. I don't know why you don't like 'papa.’ If I were a dad, I'd like 'papa’ and not ‘papá.’”

Keith stood there, not understanding a single thing, “Aren't those the same???”

His lover cringed, “Dude, the accents!!! There are accents in Spanish. Accents mean the literal change in definitions for words! Like right now, potato versus father!”

“What?”

Cecilia laughed a little harder, “Don't worry. You'll get it.”

“Why did a child dismiss my ignorance in a foreign language?”

“You just answered your question, you're ignorant,” Lance blew a raspberry at Keith, “It's on you, sweaty.”

“I'm not sweaty?” Keith felt so confused and baffled.

Lance gave up, “Why am I dating you?”

At this point, Keiko knew it would mean nothing to speak to them, so she dragged Cecilia away to have a little fun before dinner. Hunk wouldn't be coming until after, so there wasn't anyone to bother. Oh well, more time for them.

As soon as dinner was ready, they called the girls down to eat. It smelled really good and they couldn't wait to dig in. To Cecilia it wasn't as good as Abuela's from the times she came over, but it was close enough and made with so much love. All of them ate in peace before Hunk finally arrived. Keith held the door open for him as Lance helped him with all the boxes and cake. 

They set everything carefully on the table and pulled out some balloons that were hiding in the closet. They all came together and told her something that made her smile like nothing else: “Happy Birthday!”

She couldn't stop smiling, so happy that everyone she knew cared so much to at least send in a gift. They opened up the cake box and she lit up like a match within a second. She had been obsessing over Elena of Avalor for the past few years, so seeing this beautifully themed cake with aesthetically pleasing roses and sunflowers, these yellow flowers being her favorite. A small “happy birthday” was written on a cookie at the bottom of the cake. A frame surrounding an edible photo of Elena herself was also made of sugar cookie. It was such a beautiful cake with so many pretty things. Hunk had outdone himself once again!

Lance was so close to tears at this moment, begged Hunk to pay for the beautiful cake, but he sternly denied and declined any payment. It was his biggest gift for his smallest niece. 

Cecilia ran up to Hunk and gave him the largest hug she could, “Thank you so much, Uncle Hunk!” 

He hugged her back tightly, but not enough to crush her, “I'm happy you like it, but go on, let's sing that song we all know before cutting it, okay?”

She nodded, turning to the cake with a eyes full of glee. They all sang “Happy Birthday” and then Keith left to get a knife. Lance took the knife from him, grabbing Cecilia's hand to help her do the first cut. With their hands together, they cut out the first slice or cake. It was Cecilia's beautiful slice with the most elegant sunflower. Lance started to cut out slices and handed them out. They all came together and took a bite, savoring the delicious cake.

Cecilia was jumping around in her seat, “It taste like orange!” That was her favorite fruit of all time and Hunk always remembered it. 

Since it was time to open presents, they all sat down in the living room with more space. Cecilia opened up a big box that Lance and Keiko presented to her. It was almost most of her favorite characters from the show all in one set of dolls. Keith went out of his way for day just to get his hands on this. He handed her a smaller box, hoping she'd like it.

She ripped off the pretty iridescent wrapping paper and she screeched like a parrot. It was a special, limited edition Elena doll with a hand-stitched dress and moveable joints. It had everything she used with all of her accessories and two different dresses. It was beautiful and perfect. Her gift from Lance and Keiko made everything a matching set. The dolls they got weren't as of high quality, but now she had all of her favorite characters 

She gave all of them really big hugs and moved on to the gifts Lance's friends sent. Hunk got her something beautifully special. A pack of sunflower seeds and a special lamp to let them grow better in this cold winter (if she wanted) and a big book of recipes that she could try to make since she was finally old enough to get in on the cooking scene. Everyone needed to learn to cook someday. She gave him a big hug before seeing two different packages left. 

She picked up the one from Pidge and opened it, not really expecting what it was. It was… a study guide for the first grade. Everyone kind of stared at the gift for a second. She opened up the book and noticed a gift card to a coffee shop with a note that read, “It's never to late to start studying! Coffee is helpful.”

Lance sighed, taking the book up, “You don't need this. We can use the gift card to get more hot chocolate, okay?”

“Okay,” Cecilia shrugged, reaching for the last gift.

The last gift was in a gift bag and had fancy handwriting from Allura. She removed the tissue paper and saw a beautiful dress in her size. It was a rich red with yellow accents, but it was different enough that Cecilia could be her own princess in this case. 

She smiled, seeing what else was in the bag and she found cute little shoes to match, a crown, and a toy scepter with little gemstones. 

Lance scooped her up in his arms, “You're a beautiful princess,  _ mija _ . Happy Birthday, we all love you.”

Cecilia looked up at Lance to find tears in his eyes, “Papa, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm just happy I was able to celebrate your birthday together,” He kissed her cheek, “We'll celebrate Christmas all as one big family, too, okay?”

“Okay. I love you, Papa,” She laughed, “Stop crying, let's eat more cake!”

“Okay, okay! Sheesh! I'm having a moment.”

-

It was the day before the big-ish Christmas party and they needed some last minute gifts. They were all working together in order to wrap all of the gifts they had so far. Keith and the girls forgot one thing: Lance's gift. They were so preoccupied with finding gifts for everyone else that they forgot Lance's. 

Lance was in the middle of making dinner before Keith announced he was leaving with the girls. Lance stopped him, “There's going to be a snow storm later today. Be careful, you have the girls with you.”

“We won't be gone for long, okay? We should be back in about an hour and a half. We forgot a few gifts,” He shrugged, “Do you need anything?”

“Nope, but can you get some cinnamon? I think we ran out.”

“Alright, well I better get going,” He quickly smooched Lance, earning himself a naughty squeeze of the butt. He smacked Lance's hand away before leaving with the girls. 

He helped the girls into his car and turned on the heater. Keith sighed, looking back at the girls, “I have a bad feeling about leaving.”

“Why?” Keiko asked, fixing her mittens.

“I don't know. We have to wait a bit until the car warms up, okay? If we don't, it'll hurt the car.”

The girls pouted, they hated waiting. Keith chuckled, turning the radio on to play Christmas hits. They girls started to bounce in their seats to the music while Keith was thinking of what to buy Lance. He sat there for a second, pondering. What did Lance want?

As soon as the car was ready to go, he drove off, staring into the dark, dull sky. That didn't look very good. He cursed to himself before slowly speeding up. The girls stopped their little dance before noticing snow fall. They commented on it and Keith paled, “We really should hurry, okay? What can you guys think of that'd be a good gift for Lance?”

“Chocolate?” Cecilia answered.

Keiko joked, “Beer.”

“Keiko, I'm being serious,” Keith saw a store nearby and started to drive in.

Keiko pouted, “I was being serious, too!”

“Well, it has to be special. He went through a lot, so he deserves something meaningful.”

“Papa likes Cuban coffee, but I don't see how that is any different than normal coffee,” Cecilia suggested, “Is there a fancy coffee maker for that? Papa doesn't have a fancy coffee maker.”

“Oh, that's a good idea,” Keith finally parked and quickly got the girls off, “Let's hurry inside, okay?”

“Okay!” They started to run into the store and Keith followed. This store had everything imaginable. It was kind of scary, but it didn't look familiar.

Keith grabbed a cart and put the girls in it, knowing fully well he  _ wasn't _ supposed to do that. He went around, not seeing a single damn employee or customer. He quickly grabbed a specialized coffee maker and then picked up some imported espresso. The girls were oblivious to the lack of people, so it started to worry Keith. 

They didn't find anything else they wanted to get Lance until they went to the jewelry section. Keith stood there for a few minutes, staring at the rings in glass. Thoughts ran in his head, slowly forgetting his surroundings. He wanted to marry Lance and tomorrow could be his only memorable chance. 

A man walked up to Keith from nowhere, “Hey, um, I can get something from in there for you, if you wish.”

“Yes, please,” Keith smiled, watching as the man opened up the jewelry's protective casing. The man chuckled, “So what do you want? Are ya gonna propose to your boyfriend?” 

“How did you know?”

“You're looking at rings, my good man,” The employee picked out a certain ring and stuffed it in a beautiful velvet box, “This. This very ring is the perfect ring for him. Trust me on this. Don't ask any questions, but just take it.”

“O-Okay,” Keith gulped, “I'll take your word for it. Thank you so much for helping me out.”

“It's no problem. I can ring you up on number 25,” The man pointed to a cash register close to where Keith entered from. Keith nodded, bringing the cart to where the man directed.

The girls were somehow dead asleep in the cart, and Keith didn't think much of it. When the man brought Keith over to check out, he started up great conversation, “Which do you prefer? Turkey or Ham for Christmas? You're from Texas, so I assume Turkey.”

“Yeah I like Turkey, but Ham is good if someone offers to make it,” Keith smiled. 

The man finished ringing up Keith's items and handed him a receipt. “I didn't pay, though,” Keith looked a bit concerned.

The man laughed, “Don't worry about it. It's on me. Thanks for the conversation. You're a nice man. Your husband will love the gift. I know it.”

Keith  felt forever grateful, “Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you?”

“By being happy and being a loving father to both of your children. They love you, y'know.”

“Thank you, I better get going. It was nice to meet you,” Keith lowered his head a bit in respect and started to head out the automatic doors. 

The girls somehow woke up and walked themselves to the car. Keith did the same, keeping the bag of items in the passenger's’ seat. 

As soon as Keith was driving away, snow hit very hard. Keith internally panicked; he didn't know how to drive in a blizzard despite living here for years. He looked in the rear-view mirror and gasped; the store was gone completely. No lights, no parking lot. The girls looked terrified; they trusted Keith and now Keith felt like he couldn't help them right now. 

He slowly, but surely drove to the bottom of the hill to where they lived. He couldn't drive up there at all. He made the decision to wait out the storm, but how long would the storm last? He turned on the radio to the weather service and nothing but static was heard. Scared, he took deep breaths. Just a bit longer and everything would be okay. He looked stuff up on his phone, but there wasn't any service. 

After about thirty minutes of waiting, the engine died and they ran out of gasoline. Keith turned off the car and looked back at the girls who were freezing. 

He made the most irrational decision ever; he stuffed the girls in his coat, carried the gift, and made a run for it. 

The ice cold snow and ice hit him hard. No amount of scarves or hats could save him now, but he needed to get his girls to safety. He pushed as hard as he could, not allowing the snow to win over him. It took fifteen minutes before he finally reached the house. 

He banged on the door and Lance quickly opened it, allowing them in. Lance shut the door in a panic and quickly pushed the three of them to the fireplace. Keith finally opened up his coat to let the girls out. They were freezing and so was he. Lance hugged all of them so tightly, not letting them go at all. He started crying, “I told you all to not go! Look what happened! You could've died! The electricity went out and so did the emergency radio. I wanted to call you so bad and I couldn't! I don't want you to go outside like that again! I don't care what holiday it's for! Please stay with me. I love all of you.”

They all hugged him back, relieved to be home. Lance went to get some water boiling for tea as the rest of the family stayed together by the fire. The girls were huddling together for warmth as Keith started to look at the plastic bag of stuff he bought. The bag had no logo or anything at all.

The coffee and the maker were there and so was the ring, but other things were in there, too. A box of peppermint candy canes and a big bottle of gourmet cinnamon. Keith forgot to get the cinnamon and yet, here it all was. Keith tried to remember what the man looked like and he paused.

The man was hefty and wore a red shirt. A white beard ran along his cheeks that were cherry red. A big smile was plastered on his face. He knew almost everything about Keith without asking. Did he run into… No, of course he didn't… or did he?

Keith quickly got up and set the cinnamon on the kitchen table. He walked into dining room where they had been previously wrapping gifts and started to fix up Lance's gift. 

-

As soon as the girls went to sleep, Lance and Keith brought out a bunch of presents under their Christmas tree that they spent forever fixing. They wanted to see their girls’ delighted faces when they came to the living room. They spent a lot of money on this stuff, but was it worth it? Yes. Neither of them ever had this many gifts for Christmas, but it was totally worth it to see pure joy. After they finished, they went to bed, cuddling due to the cold. They were tired from today, but only imagined all of the stuff they had to do tomorrow. 

At seven in the morning, two screaming girls ran down the stairs to find a beautiful lit up tree with a million presents underneath. The fathers ran down the stairs to make sure they didn't go crazy and were surprised. There were more presents than the ones they left and the fireplace was roaring. The cookies and milk the girls left were gone. Lance took a few bites of a cookie to make it seem like Santa ate it, but the entire plate of cookies was gone. The milk was, too. Keith laughed in bewilderment, “Looks like Santa was having a good time.”

Lance made a face, “I mean… maybe?*

The girls opened up the largest present that Lance and Keith planned. A motorized princess carriage with pink and gold highlights. It wasn't  _ that _ big, but it only increased their screaming. It might've well been a house! They opened up more gifts to find candy, clothes, and cool toys. Keith saw some things that they definitely  _ did not _ buy. Odd. 

Lance went to the kitchen to get breakfast started. He was thinking about making some pumpkin spice french toast, so that's what he made. Keith sat on a stool nearby, watching Lance crack eggs and get bread out. He sighed, “Santa fixed the electricity and everything else. I'm grateful. He's helped out a lot.”

“Maybe? I mean, I swear I saw him at the store,” Lance commented.

“What? I did, too??” Keith pondered, “I guess he saw us worthy or something?”

“I don't know, man. All I know is that I'm hungry,” Lance started to dip the bread into his spiced wet mixture.

Keith laughed, “That's a first. You look happy and healthier. I'm proud of you.”

“You make it seem like I fought cancer. It's not that big of a accomplishment. I still have some ways to go,” Lance finally put two slices of wet toast in a pan, “Get me the maple syrup, please. The cinnamon, too.”

Keith went into the cabinets and pulled out the new bottle of gourmet cinnamon and maple syrup, “Here.”

Lance dumped the toast on a plate and sprinkled cinnamon and splashed a bit of syrup on it, “I haven't had this in a fat minute.”

He took a large bite, moaning. Keith stopped him, “Don't eat too much, Hunk is going to bring a feast over. The snow storm is finally over and he isn't backing down because of a storm.”

“Okay, whatever,  _ Mom _ ,” Lance stuck his tongue out at him, “I thought you were supposed to be the cool parent!”

“Shut it,” Keith stole a piece of Lance's toast before helping him make more for the girls.

As it closer to the party time, they all changed into fancy clothes. It was a party, after all. Lance and Keith were internally crying over an outfit. They were going to propose to each other and there were going to be photos, so it  _ had _ to be perfect. They both picked out something similar; a button up with slacks. They looked cute together, so that was all that mattered.

They got the girls in beautiful dresses and just waited for everyone else to come. Shiro was the first to come, bring gifts for the girls and the parents. Lance told the girls to not open the gifts until later, so they both glared at him. It got a chuckle out of Shiro, so all was good. After, Hunk, Shay, and their son came along. They brought enough food to feed everyone for a week. Lance was eternally grateful and hugged them all. They also brought gifts and set them down under the lit tree. 

Pidge and her family came over, bringing a bunch of different gifts. Shiro and Matt recognized each other from college and bonded immediately. Matt told embarrassing stories about Shiro, making Keith and Keiko laugh the most. Both of them weren't surprised by anything Shiro did, though.

Allura didn't come alone, she brought along her new girlfriend. Keith was surprised to find out Keiko's teacher was with her. Romelle waved at him, not knowing that he'd be here. They chatted for a bit before Allura brought down her own gifts under the tree. Keiko ran up to her and gave her a hug, not knowing that she'd be here.

After a few minutes of chatting, they all sat in Lance's large dining room. Keith had decorated everything exquisitely, getting fancy plates for everyone to eat out of; he even put a candy cane on everyone's plate. Hunk started to serve food with the help of Shay. Lance went to pour warm spiced cider into everyone's cups. 

As everyone chatted and ate dinner, Keith sat there, uncertain if this was real. Cecilia's birthday party was adorable and family based. This was still completely family based and so much more. He had never experienced this before. When he was put in foster homes during Christmas, he never had this. When he was with Shiro's family, it was wonderful. It was small and very sweet until Shiro's parents passed away in an accident. It had never been the same since. 

This was new, but there were so many positive feelings. He couldn't help but be fully joyous. Lance held his hand under the table when he sat down, “How's everything? Is it overwhelming?”

Keith shook his head, “No. I've just never had this before. Thank you for this. It wouldn't have happened if you didn't offer to have it at this house.”

“ _ Our _ house,” He smiled, “We live here now. Don't worry about it. It was just something I could do to help out.”

Keith pecked his lips quickly, giggling, “Whatever, hot shot. Let's eat.”

They all ate dinner and thanked Hunk before they all went to the living room again, it almost being the end of the party. Keith went around and passed around hot chocolate with a candy cane inside the cup. They all drank some and talked before it was all interrupted by Lance. 

“Hey, guys! I have something I want to say!” Lance cleared his throat, facing Keith. Keith was sitting on the couch, looking up at Lance before he got one knee.

Keith blushed, realizing what he was doing. Lance softly smiled, “Listen, please. The first time we met, I was guided to you by my ray of sunshine. You embraced us both, taking us under your wing. I was drawn to your occasional smiles and laughs. I feel like I hear the purest sounds of a bell every time you speak to me. After the most darkest part of my life, I met you- I…”

Lance started to choke up tears, “I have never felt happier. I was sick and frail and you helped me. You saw how bad I was sometimes and you didn't leave me or made me feel like anything less than what I was. I never want to leave you. I fucking love you like I have never loved anyone else before! Keith, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so please… Will you marry me?”

Lance took out a shiny ring from his pocket, presenting it to Keith. The audience awaited an answer from Keith, who was in shock. He started to laugh as if it was a joke. Lance started to panic, “W-Why are you laughing? Please don't do this to me.”

Keith shook his head once again, “Lance. I would never reject you. I was actually going to do the same thing.” He took out a ring from his pocket, too. Keith got on one knee and looked at Lance with pure admiration, “I love you so much. Why wouldn't I want to spend the rest of my life with you? I have an important question to ask you: will you marry me?”

Lance huffed, “You're  _ such _ an ass! Of course I'll marry you! Don't scare me like that!”

They exchanged rings and hugged each other, despite a fuming Lance. All of their friends and family clapped, cheering them on. To calm Lance down, he kissed Lance, not letting him go. 

The girls gave each other a hi-five; their plan on getting their parents to marry was successful so far. Phase one was done! They needed to thank Santa later.

The rest of the night consisted of sharing and exchanging gifts. Lance was so excited about his coffee maker. His had gotten broken after an accident in college. Keith received five binders all in either nude or black. Lance knew that he wanted some new ones.

By the time everyone left, one gift remained. It was addressed to both parents, so they sat down together, opening it up. It was a frame with both of them laughing together at the beach. A small note was written on a card.

_ Congratulations on the engagement! Keep each other close to your heart. Let this be a reminder to love each other always. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! - Santa Clause. _

Keith and Lance were in awe at this miracle. Lance held the frame in his hands, seeing the lovely photo that he didn't know existed, “You’re perfect here. The dimples in your cheeks, your hair pulled back. That precious smile. I love this so much.”

Arms found their way around Lance, “Y'know, I can feel your happiness through this photo. It's so warm and energetic. It's something only I'm able to see and feel.”

“I love you,” Lance leaned back into Keith. His fiance's head rested on his shoulder, “I love you, too.”

Maybe next year won't be so bad. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COMMENT PLSSSSS  
> im losing all hope  
> i only need a few more chapters... then,,, im dONE  
> COMMENTS ARE MOTIVATION!!!!
> 
> i skipped halloween im sorry  
> let me know if you guys want keiko's birthday or not  
> im doing a big time skip next chapter  
> next chapter is a big oNE!!! CONFLICT AFTER THIS FLUFFY ASS SHIT!


	15. Foolproof

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SMUT WARNING!!! but it's at the end lol  
> i was gonna post this two days ago but i got stuck and then i fell asleep before i was able to   
> it's a long chapter

Keiko’s birthday was today; however, when requesting a cake from Hunk, the baker asked to see Keith individually. This made the father nervous for two reasons. The first reason was that Hunk didn’t trust Keith for shit now. The second reason was that the date for their wedding was coming closer and closer. Every single day, Lance grew more excited and loving, so Hunk had enough.

Keiko was at home, spending time with Lance and Cecilia. They were playing silly games, but now Keith was a piece of a game. Hunk was an obstacle here and he was getting really hard to avoid. When Keith presented himself to receive the cake, Hunk nicely showed him the cake and explained what he did to it. Keith nodded, agreeing to what he was saying, complimenting him on how beautiful it was. Hunk’s face turned from a smile to a glaring frown, “If you don’t tell Lance the secret you’re _really_ hiding, I will. I _know_ this secret of yours and if you don’t tell him now, your marriage is on the line. He loves you so much that he completely trusts you and yet you can’t trust him enough to tell him the truth.”

Keith couldn’t look at him, “I will. I need to, but I’m scared he’d be so freaked out that he’d leave us. Everyone is so happy that I can’t just say it now. Lance needs time for this kind of stuff and he’s recovering… I can’t tell him now.”

“You need to tell him before you two wed. He needs to know the truth before you two tie the knot. I don’t know if he’ll want to stay with you at that point and you need to give him the freedom to leave.”

“I selfishly don’t want to. I want him to stay oblivious and happy. I don’t want to see his pained eyes with confusion. He probably won’t even talk to me anymore…”

“You _need_ to tell him. When it’s two weeks from the wedding and you still haven’t told him, I _definitely_ will tell him.”

“I’ll tell him soon. I don’t know how soon, though,” Keith took the cake from Hunk, “I guess I’ll see you later.”

Hunk just watched as Keith left the store. The father was feeling a bit dejected, but was Hunk going to feel any remorse? No. Oh, hell no. He cared a lot about Lance and he wasn’t going to stand for this behavior. If he had to get the message through to Keith by letting him pick up a cake, so be it. It _was_ for Lance’s daughter, after all.

By the time Keith got home, Keiko and Cecilia were running around the kitchen table in circles. Lance was using his fancy, new coffee maker to brew some espresso. They were both running impatiently for cake, but Lance seemed to have it under control. Keith laughed, setting the box down on the kitchen table.

They all sat down, sang Happy Birthday, and enjoyed the cake. All of them were surprised by the flavor of the cake. Rose. They didn't hate it, but it was certainly new. Keiko had always wanted to try rose flavored things, but it wasn't her cup of tea. She wanted to try lavender next.

Keiko opened up her gifts quickly, finding small things that she requested for. Her octopus was patched up, she got a brand new pack of fancy crayons with a sketchbook, and she got a barbie with long hair that she always wanted to style. She expressed her gratitude with small, gentle hugs (mainly towards Keith), overjoyed about it all.

Lance was nervous to get her anything, but based on what Keith told him about her, she liked octopuses. He went to the bookstore and bought her a book all about the anatomy of an octopus. She opened up the present and her eyes lit up, opening it immediately. Okay, so maybe Lance hit the jackpot on gifts. Keiko went up to him and smiled, saying how much she adored the gift. Lance didn’t really know how to bond with her despite the fact that him and Keith were going to get married in a few months. He needed to work on that and Keiko was a hard kid to work with. She never expressed her feelings at all most of the time and if she did it was only to Keith and Cecilia. Lance was never surprised at all by her actions, but it still hurt. He knew Keiko wasn’t his so it made perfect sense, but how was Keith and Cecilia so close already? It didn’t make any sense to him. When him and Keiko went out to get a present for Cecilia’s birthday, she didn’t look him in the eye and only spoke softly to explain what she thought. It kind of looked like she was scared to see him mad. Lance felt bad, but she looked happy right now and that was all that mattered.

-

Keith was coming home from work the next day, soaked from the rain. On the way home, he heard this very loud, high pitched cry from an animal down the road. He stopped his car and went to look into the shrubs and trees. He found a puppy all wet and alone. Keith paused; if he took the puppy home, everyone would be happy, but what about Lance? It wasn’t his home, but _the puppy_. He sighed, taking his jacket off and scooping the puppy up. It stopped crying and looked up at Keith. This dog had some weird eyes and markings; Keith didn’t think much of it, though. He started to drive home and watched the puppy snuggle up against his jacket in the passenger’s seat.

Keiko wasn’t going to be picked up until later, so Keith decided to do a few things. He washed up the puppy and tried to dry out his fur. Both of them sat next to the fireplace and then Lance came home on lunch break. He came over to where Keith was and gasped, before shouting, “Puppy!!!”

Lance went over to the dog and started to play with them in the living room. He hugged the pet and started to freak over it. Keith was just pleased that Lance didn’t kick the dog out, but really? Lance wasn’t that kind of person. As soon as Lance made a big fuss, Cecilia ran over from the kitchen, watching Lance cuddle the animal. She wanted to play with the puppy, too! She pulled on Lance’s pant leg and bugged him to hand over the puppy. He carefully put the puppy down and the puppy sniffed Cecilia before looking up happily at her.

“What’s his name?” she asked.

Lance shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“I’m going to wait until the puppy tells us his name,” Keith was very confident in his answer.

Lance sighed, “Babe, I love you, but that’s not how it works. I’m also pretty sure this is _not_ a dog.”

“It’s a dog. You’re just blind,” Keith huffed, watching the puppy play with Cecilia.

“No, it’s a _wolf_ , sweetheart,” Lance picked up the puppy, “Do dogs look like this?”

“Yes,” Keith turned away from him, “I’m going to pick up Keiko and buy dog food. Don’t worry about it.”

“I wanna go!” Cecilia ran up to Keith.

“Alright, come ‘ere,” Keith picked her up and started to walk out. The rain stopped luckily by this point.

Lance couldn’t believe his fiance, “You’re going to leave me here with a _wolf_??? I have to go back to work soon!!”

“Take care of the doggy. We’ll be back soon. Go to work, I left lunch in the fridge. I’ll feed the girls when I come back,” Keith didn’t even look at Lance before closing and locking the door.

Oh well. Lance looked at the puppy and sighed, playing with it more. It was all he could do anyway. The puppy soon lost interest and walked up to the fireplace, enjoying the heat on this cold day. Lance went and ate lunch before returning back to work. He was kind of scared to leave the dog there, though.

Keith came back with two cranky, hungry girls. How did he deal with them? He didn’t. They both started whining and until Keith reheated their food and served them on plates. Keith searched around for the dog and he was nowhere to be found. Odd. As soon as he turned around, the dog was there. Keith screamed for a second and then took a deep breath. The girls laughed before they both forgot about their food and started to play with the dog. Keith disapproved of this behavior, “You can’t touch or play with the dog until you’re both done eating.”

They whined again and started to eat. Oh well. The dog kept staring at Keith, not really moving. Oh yeah, Keith bought dog food. He left the kitchen and brought the bag of puppy food out and started to pour the food into a bowl that the puppy was able to reach. He wasn’t at all surprised that the dog finished the bowl almost immediately.

Lance came back later in the day for dinner and smiled, seeing both of the girls play with the puppy. The wolf got tired and fell asleep right after. At least it’ll help the girls sleep because it can be very hard sometimes… _especially_ when they’re excited.

As soon as the girls went to sleep later that day, Keith and Lance both went into the study. They sighed looking over all the paperwork for the wedding. They needed to pick out tuxedos now and get them fitted, they needed to find the finalized date, and they needed to get all the legal crap out of the way. Was their traditional wedding going to be the same day as their legal wedding? Did they need to schedule that? Lance was trying his hardest to remember certain things, but Keith couldn’t help since he just didn’t know. Were they even going to have the same wedding as Lauren’s? What exactly did they want?

“So we have a few options…” Lance pulled out his glasses for this, “We can rent a venue hall in the next city, Hunk’s restaurant, or if you have any ideas?”

“How about a beach wedding?” Keith smiled softly, truly thinking about it, “I-I think it’d be nice and maybe we can have the after party at Hunk’s.”

“That’s a great idea and it’s cheap,” Lance chuckled, “I can call up the beach and rent a small area for the wedding. Maybe beforehand we can get the legal wedding done.”

“We can have someone watch over the kids for the day and see them for the wedding and then maybe we can spend the night alone… If you catch my drift,” Keith seductively put a hand on Lance’s shoulder.

Lance huffed, “That sounds like fun. Maybe we can do a few things… In the morning of the next day, we'll pick them up, treat the girls for being away from us for so long and then come home.”

“That sounds nice. Is there anything special you want for this wedding?”

“Maybe… my family can come?” Lance looked up at him with the saddest eyes, “I haven't seen them in such a long time. I want them to be here to see our wedding at least and maybe stay for a week or so.”

“We can arrange that, right?” Keith pondered, “Is there anything we need to help them get here?”

“I just paid for most of the tickets for Lauren's wedding. I can probably do it again.”

“Okay, well, we need to do that. Let's order the tickets online now so it'll be cheaper.”

“That's a good idea, but I need to figure out who's coming and who's not.”

“Why don't you call them?”

“That's also a good idea,” Lance pulled out his cellphone and started to call his mom, hoping for the best.

Keith bit his bottom lip, anxiously worrying about what Hunk said. Lance was going to order tickets _now_ for his family to come, but if Lance didn't want to marry him anymore, all those tickets would be wasted. Lance was speaking rapid Spanish over the phone and the voice of a sweet, elderly woman was on the other line. Soon the sweet voice turned into dramatic yelling. Keith gulped, he was going to meet Lance's family if it all worked out. He did _not_ want to be yelled at. What if they didn't want Lance to marry Keith?

Keith felt his heart race and sweat was all over his skin. He felt like melting. If Lance still stayed with him and he met his family, he didn't know what to do. He didn't speak Spanish, he was gay, trans, and everything most people hated. How was he going to get approval from his family???? Lance also previously married a white cis girl. He shook his head, internally panicking. Lance saw Keith's distress and was totally confused. He held the phone to his ear and mouthed the words, “Are you okay?”

Keith nodded, before getting up and leaving to the bathroom. He sat on the toilet seat cover and just cried from stress. There was no reason for any of this stress, but what if he couldn't marry him? Keith _loved_ Lance so much that it hurt to ever think of not marrying him.

There were scratches coming from outside the bathroom door and it was the puppy. Keith opened up the door and saw how the dog wanted to help with his anxiety. He took a deep breath and held the puppy up against his chest, closing the door. He didn't want his dream to end so soon.

-

Lance already ordered the tickets; he was ecstatic over the fact that his _entire_ family was coming and staying for two _whole_ weeks! Only part of his family came when he married Lauren. He missed all of them so much and they would love Keith. Keith was less fake and more genuine. Lauren was so fake, she didn't know how to interact with them and her Spanish was terrible. She didn't try at all and it looked bad. He needed to teach Keith some simple phrases before they came, but he would _definitely_ try. They hadn't seen Cecilia in a year or two, but they'd still love her, maybe even love her more.

Lance went to his bedroom from the study, hoping to find Keith there. He wasn't there. Odd. He went downstairs and no Keith. He shrugged and went back to his room to change into pajamas. Under his covers, he started to wonder all about their suits and the style of the wedding. It was going to be _perfect_ and with someone he adored to death. He couldn't believe it! It was happening so soon, but it was for the best. He would get to be even closer to his little family. Smiling into his pillow, he chuckled; maybe… just maybe they might have a child of their own if Keith wanted. Their little family could grow a little bigger.

Keith came back from the bathroom not showing a sign of crying. He decided to keep the puppy downstairs on a bath towel to sleep. The puppy was big enough to climb the stairs, but Keith loved to carry the dog. The puppy fell asleep almost immediately, so Keith left into the bedroom. He noticed Lance's figure in the sheets, his long body took up almost the entire length of the bed, but it was king sized, so he had a bit of room. It honestly looked a bit cute.

Keith sat down on the edge of the bed for a moment or two, taking in the sleepy atmosphere. He felt a pair of skinny arms wrap around his waist. The sheets spoke, “Come to bed. I wanna cuddle.”

“Fine, let me change. Let go,” Keith felt the warm arms retreat and he got up, taking his own pajamas out of a drawer.

The sheets suddenly had a concerned voice, “Don't forget to take your binder off. I know you forget sometimes.”

“It's off. My chest is free,” Keith laughed, “I’ll be in bed in a second. If I don't get my pajama pants on, you'll get… _creative_.”

Lance's head poked out from the blankets, defensively, “Hey! I just like your ass.. ets.”

“Nice try,” He finally got his pants up before jumping on top of Lance, “I'm in bed.”

“You're crushing me!!!” Lance pushed him off and whined, “How dare you!”

“I dare,” Keith smooched his cheek before crawling under the covers. It was so warm and smelled of just Lance. It was a nice, pleasant smell. Cinnamon and sea salt. Keith's favorite.

Lance's arms found themselves around Keith again, bringing him in closer, “I'm so happy to be marrying you. It doesn't feel real.”

“It is,” Keith muttered, “It's a bit stressful. I've never gotten married before.”

“It's a lot of time and money.”

“I know. I know you make more money and you're offering to pay for most things, but I really want to help out.”

“Don’t worry about it. It'll be fine. It's going to be so much cheaper than Lauren's wedding. She spent a shit ton of money on a dress she didn't even want. I know it won't be like that. We aren't having a big wedding either. Just my family, our friends, and your family… or well, Shiro.”

“It's still a lot of eyes on us…”

“Our legal wedding can only be us, okay?”

“That's sounds perfect. I'm sorry.”

“For what?”

“A lot of things…”

“It's okay. You're forgiven for whatever you did, though I doubt you did anything to make me upset or something.”

“Yeah…”

“I don't wanna talk about this anymore, it's making our cuddles bitter.”

“You can't taste cuddles.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“What?”

Lance kissed Keith gently, allowing it to linger a bit. He made a face when it finished, “You taste like toothpaste. Gross.”

“You taste like dinner. You didn't brush your teeth, did you?” Keith glared at him.

“I mean… I didn't, so yeah,” Lance looked away, “Look, I just wanna cuddle.”

Keith snuggled up next to him, “We are, but you still need to brush your teeth.”

“You’re rude, but I love you,” Lance made sure the blankets covered both of them before turning off the lamp to his side.

Keith smiled, rolling his eyes, “I love you, too.”

-

It was two weeks before the wedding and Lance's family was flying in tomorrow. All of them were nervous and cleaned the house like maniacs. Lance was internally screaming, but was shouting to everyone else, “Mama doesn't like a speck of dust anywhere and now we have a dog??? An _inside_ dog??? She's gonna kill me!”

Keith had to sit Lance down for a second, “Listen, it'll be okay. She loves you, so she probably won't be as hard. We aren't having any parties here anyway.”

“She'll still kick my ass.”

“That's between both of you.”

“You won't even save your husband. Rude!”

Keith laughed, “I'm sure your mom will give you hugs and kisses. You're her youngest, so don't worry about it.”

“How do you know that?”

“Your older sister, Veronica, has been texting me non-stop. She also sent me a few of your embarrassing baby pictures.”

“No… She didn't!”

“She did,” Keith smirked, pulling them up on his phone. He showed one to Lance, “You were a chubby little guy.”

“Why does she have a photo of me in the kitchen sink?!” Lance groaned, “Delete it!!”

“No!” Keith pulled his cellphone away before Lance could take it.

Lance chased him around the living room for a bit before Keith got a call. It was from Hunk. Keith took the phone call.

“Hey guys, I was wondering if you were still coming to your reservation later today. Are you guys coming?”

Lance took the phone from Keith, “Yeah. Of course we are. It's our last date before we get married. We finally finished planning! You have a celebration cake for us because we finished planning, right?”

“Not a cake, but a surprise,” Hunk noticed that Lance took up the phone. He cursed to himself, but all was well.

“It is a tart? I love your tarts. Maybe a guava tart???” Lance's voice got increasing higher with each question.

“Yup. A guava tart for you and a dark chocolate tart for Keith. He loves chocolate, doesn't he?”

“Yeah, he does. He'll eat like several bars if you don't stop him,” Lance shrugged, “Is there any way I can leave the girls to you for tonight. If not, it's okay.”

“Yeah, I would encourage it. Your family is coming tomorrow, so keep this last day of privacy to yourselves.”

“Thank you, big guy. I love you, man. I'll see you later,” Lance blew a kiss over the phone and hung up.

Keith forgot all about Hunk's threat and enjoyed Lance's radiating happiness. It filled his soul and felt so gentle. Lance was his sun and his smile were rays of his sunlight. Lance smiled all the time now. It was no longer a rare occurrence. Keith had done his job of making him happy and normal; it wasn't really a job, he did it out of love.

Before they went on their date, they were able to get their suits. They had gotten fitted and it was finally ready. They brought it home and tried each suit in front of the other. Lance brought out his suit first. He came out of the bathroom and walked into the bedroom where Keith was waiting to see the whole demonstration. His suit fit him perfectly. The lovely fitted suit showed his figure; his broad muscular shoulders, his chest and toned arms. Keith asked for his husband's pants to show off his ass; it had been looking good these past few months. Lance looked healthy inside and out. The suit only extended his radiance. He wanted to look good for his wedding, so Lance had been working so hard with Keith. He did it for Cecilia. He did it for his family. He did it for himself. _This_ suit was his graduation. He was able to be the _best_ he could be.

Keith clapped, “You look perfect! It fits you perfectly! It's so beautiful.”

Lance blushed, “I-I'm glad you like it.”

“I feel like I'm gonna marry a fancy, rich prince. Look at you. I'm so proud of you,” Keith went up to him, his hands held on to Lance's arms. He was so pleased and felt almost _rewarded_ for what he did to help him out.

Lance ushered him out, “Go! Change! I'm embarrassed and now I want to smother you with compliments!”

“Okay, okay!” Keith grabbed his own suit and left the bedroom. He sighed, getting the suit on. He stared into the mirror, smiling. It felt _so_ good to be in a tuxedo; it was something he never thought he'd be able to wear. He fixed up his hair a bit with a brush he left in the bathroom and shyly walked back into the bedroom. Lance had the most shocked look on his face. Keith didn't know if Lance hated it or thought he was disgusting. Keith really liked this suit, he thought he actually looked okay in it.

Lance was so close to tears, “Keith, you're lovely. This makes you look like a fucking angel.”

Keith looked up at him in disbelief, “What?”

“This suit jacket cinches your waist with the high waisted pants, but it makes you look almost like those really hot dudes with nice shoulders and a great butt. Turn around for me.”

“I doubt it's something you want to see,” Keith turned around, trying to show off the back of the jacket.

Lance straightened out the back of the jacket, it wasn't even. He smiled, “You look like the most hottest, yet powerful dude on the planet. You're beautiful, even your behind is beautiful. It's definitely something I wanna see.”

“I bought this jacket with a tail, so that you wouldn't be distracted during the service.”

“I know you did, but it's a disservice to yourself.”

“I like respect, you know.”

“I respect that, but now we _really_ should take these off. I don't want them dirty.”

“Fine.” Keith started to remove his suit and put them carefully into the package they came in. Lance did the same, but got close to Keith and squeezed a cheek. It was automatic slap to Lance's hand.

They changed into their date clothes and called the girls out from their room. They came out all dressed and ready to go; Keith was so proud of them. They were all heading to Hunk's since it was finally time to go on their date. Their date wasn't going to be much besides dinner and going home to sleep. They were going to be busy the next day, so resting was absolutely fine.

When they made it to Hunk's restaurant, Lance got out first and started to help the girls down from their seats. Keith watched in admiration; Lance was such a loving man. He didn't deserve him at all; his gentleness and warmth was something only to be found in dreams. He was so in love with him that he reached out just to hold hands. Lance smiled at him as he got the girls inside. Hunk saw the girls first, hugging both of them before greeting the fathers.

The girls went around to the back of the restaurant where Shay and their son were waiting. They'd eat dinner in the back and then go to Hunk's actual house to sleep for the night. They were used to this already and both of them loved Shay, Hunk, and their son. They noticed that their parents were not too far away, so they were never worried.

Lance held Keith's hand under the table the entire time, loving how Keith's hand fit perfectly into his. Hunk handed them their meal that they technically pre-ordered through the phone. It looked delicious and Hunk left them to their business, acting as normal as possible. Keith didn't think much of it, though, Keith never thinks much of anything unless it's completely suspicious. The fathers ate in peace, Lance telling Keith stories of the family that was finally flying in tomorrow. Keith was nervous about that, but it felt good to know that everything was going to be okay.

When they finished, they kissed their girls goodbye for the night and left into their car. Keith pointed out to Lance that Keiko forgot her duffle bag with her pajamas in it. Lance offered to take it back inside and use the restroom before they headed home. Keith sat in the passenger's seat, just waiting for Lance. The radio was set on to a news station, a friendly voice talking about the president and his shortcomings. Keith just shut it off in a fit of annoyance.

As soon as Lance got inside, he ran up towards Keiko, “I got your duffle bag, you left it in the car.”

“Thank you,” She took the bag from him and opened it to find her octopus. She hugged it tightly, leaving that as her dismissal for Lance.

Lance went to the restroom quickly, not wanting Keith to wait for long. When he came out, Hunk stopped him, pulling him to the side. Lance didn't see Hunk's serious demeanor in a long time, so Lance was a bit anxious.

Hunk sighed, “Has Keith told you the truth?”

“What? What truth?”

“About Keiko and her _real_ father?”

“No? He doesn't have to if he doesn't want to. I'm not going to force him.”

“I told him to tell you for the past few months and he still hasn't.”

“It doesn't involve me. He could've been raped, man. I don't want to bring it up and trigger him by accident.”

“It wasn't rape. Lance do you remember anything from our senior final's week?”

“Uh… We got drunk? I remember stepping outside with a guy and we did it in my car.”

“Lance, take a deep breath and try not to freak out. That was Keith and he knew the entire time. He just didn't want to tell you out of selfishness.”

“What? Keith? I thought he trusted me. I trusted him with almost everything and yet… he knew and didn't tell me?”

“Okay, so that night… Keith ended up getting pregnant with Keiko.”

“Wait… is she-”

“She's yours, Lance.”

Lance turned around to see Keiko laughing with Cecilia at the other table. That was his daughter and he could've known this entire time? His heart broke. He didn't know what to do. Could he not trust Keith anymore? He loved him, but this was too much. That little girl could've had a complete family… Lance felt so bad for her and it was mainly Keith's fault.

Lance stormed outside and got into car. He slammed the door out of frustration and drove off without looking or saying a word towards Keith. Keith didn't understand why Lance was so upset. He looked pained. Did he eat something that made his stomach hurt? Did he get a phone call that his family wasn't coming? What happened? Lance parked on a remote side of the beach, getting out. Keith stayed in the car, unsure of what to do.

Lance climbed to the roof of his car and sat there, thinking of ways to approach Keith without scaring him off. He _wanted_ this to work out, but if trust was an issue, then… maybe it won't work out in the future. At the same time, he wanted to cry for Keiko. She had no idea either, did she?

Keith heard a thump on the roof and assumed that Lance sat down. Lance chose to stay with Keith, but refused to say anything. Lance was upset with him. Keith suddenly realized… Hunk told him. That's why he invited them to eat. That's why he offered to take the girls. It was between the fathers to work this out. He sighed, getting out. He saw Lance's pained eyes staring out into the ocean. Keith took a deep breath and tried to climb up on the car. Lance didn't tell him to get off, so he continued.

Sitting next to Lance felt so weird now; so distant. Keith wasn't able to touch him, “Are you okay?”

“No.”

“I know you want nothing to do with me, but can we talk about it?”

“I guess.”

“You know… don't you?”

“Yeah, but why did it have to be Hunk? Why did _he_ and not _you_ tell me?”

“When we met at the beach, I recognized you immediately. You looked a bit malnourished and skinnier than I remember, but it was still you. I asked if you knew me and you said no. I couldn't tell you then. You wouldn't have believed me.”

“You delivered all of those packages to our house and you saw me all the time. Why didn't you tell me then? I once saw you changing Keiko's diaper.”

“She told me you wouldn't believe me and that you'd just reject me. You were busy yelling at her anyway. You didn't even bother to look at me.”

“You still could've told me. I would've thought you were crazy, but Hunk was there. He saw that we left the bar that night and y'know assumed we did it.”

“I was scared, Lance. I thought you would just curse me out and yell at me just like you did with Lauren. I was scared that you would reject our daughter. I wanted her to have a family, but I thought you wouldn't care or stay. It was just a one night stand. It was more than that, but we never stayed and that was my biggest regret.”

Lance noticed that Keith was covering his face because he was crying. Keith was being honest now and his feelings were completely valid, but it still was not an excuse. He hugged Keith tightly, “It's not an excuse, but I see where you come from.”

“I was rejected so many times for being gay and trans and all of my previous partners were abusive. I was a raging alcoholic and it made things worse. I always assume the worst, so I never bothered to tell you. I didn't know that you'd be so loving and kind. I didn't know that you'd love me with all of my faults. I just didn't know. You were so happy with me, so why would I tell you to get you upset? I thought you would leave me and I don't want my sun to set.”

“I trusted you. I told you everything and you _still_ didn't tell me. I feel betrayed. I feel backstabbed. Is there anything else you’re hiding from me?”

“No. You can even see all of my bank statements if you want to.”

“I'm only forgiving you because I love you and I know you had the right intention, but it was so poorly executed. You've changed a lot as a person for the better, but I know your thoughts still get to you. It'll be okay, though. Do you trust me?”

“I trust you. I love you. I don't want to do anything that will hurt you again. I'm so sorry.”

“You need to apologize to one more person. Keiko doesn't know anything. She's _my_ daughter. She _has_ to know now. Poor thing probably thinks the reason why she doesn't have another parent is because of her.”

“I wanted to tell her, but she's too old to properly bond with you. I'm so fucking sorry. I love her so much and yet I couldn't tell her. She doesn't understand that I gave birth to her either. She really thinks I'm her biological dad. I don't know what to do anymore.”

“We need to sit her down and slowly tell her to make her understand. We're both technically her legal guardians now. She deserves to know the truth.”

Keith nodded, his heart was shattered. There was a reason why he never, ever wanted to bring this up. He needed to tell her now before she'd grow up to hate him. He didn't want that either. His baby was finally going to know and it's up to her to figure it out.

Lance got down from the roof and got back into the car, turning it on. Keith got down and sat next to him, “Should we go get the girls now and go home as a family?”

“I'd really like that.”

-

The girls were happy to be coming home instead of staying away from their parents. Hunk didn't mention or point out Keith's tear-stained face. Lance still looked very pained, but he was happy they were able to talk about it and bring the girls home. It was quiet ride home, but the girls didn't question it. They wanted to question why Keith and Lance were upset, but they didn't. There was a reason why they came back for them.

As soon as they got home, their puppy greeted them, excited for them to finally come back. Keith smiled, ruffling the dog's ears. The girls ran upstairs to their shared room and changed into their pajamas before running back out to find Keith and Lance sitting by the kitchen table. The girls came to bother them for a bit before hitting the sack.

“Papa!!!” Cecilia ran over to hug the crap out of Lance. Lance gracefully picked her up and placed her on his lap. Keith did the same with Keiko, holding her close for some reason that she didn't understand.

“You girls want some tea? I bought some camomile the other day,” Keith smiled.

Keiko nodded, “I want honey in mine.”

“Can I just have the honey?” Cecilia jumped off of Lance's lap to get up with Keith.

Lance shook his head, “Too much sugar. You won't sleep unless you have the tea. We all have something to talk about anyway. It's important. It'd be best over tea.”

“Fine. I want tea and honey!”

Keith set Keiko down and started to get a kettle ready for tea. The girls grabbed a box filled with tea bags and handed it to Keith. The father put four tea bags into four cups, waiting for the water to heat up.

“When I was younger, Shiro's mom would make both of us tea. It was really good tea. I need to find out what brand of tea she bought,” Keith hummed, “I learned a lot from my previous foster families. This old couple taught me how to garden and plow the ground by hand. Maybe we should grow a garden.”

Lance looked up at him, watching Keith sway back and forth, waiting for the water. Keith was being honest about it. Lance painfully exhaled, he was reminded of their previous conversation, “Maybe you can fix up the backyard. I know it's more of a hill than a backyard, but it's dirt and grass.”

“Can we grow flowers?” Keiko looked up at Keith with hope.

Keith smiled, “Of course we can. I know we live in the North, but maybe we can… grow some bluebonnets. My dad used to buy clay pots and grow a few. It was kind of hard to grow them in the dry area we lived in, but it was nice when they actually grew.”

“What's a bluebonnet?” Cecilia pulled on his pants leg, “Is it a type of lily?”

“No, it's a bit more like lavender,” Keith pulled out his cellphone and showed her a picture.

“It's pretty!!!” She was in awe, “I want an entire garden filled with them!”

Keith looked at Lance, “It's not gonna kill the other flowers around here like an invasive species, is it?”

His fiance shrugged, “Maybe. I don't know. All I know is that it might.”

“I'll order some online,” Keith turned the kettle off, despite it not whistling. He started to pour the water into all four cups before taking out a small jar of honey.

Keiko watched in amazement as Keith carefully added a bit to each cup. Honey was sticky, but pretty to look at. He got a bottle of water out of the fridge and set it to the side, “If the tea is too hot, I can add some cold water, okay?”

The girls nodded, excited to drink their sweetened tea. They all sat back down with their cups and decided to finally talk about the _issue_ at hand. They wanted to tell Keiko alone, but Cecilia needed to know, too; they were technically half-sisters anyway. Lance waited for the girls to calm down a bit before starting to bring it up.

“So, um, this probably really weird and you are probably gonna be confused, so let's break it down, okay?” Lance started.

“What are you talking about?” Keiko asked.

Keith sighed, “We're going to talk about your other parent. Everyone at your school has a mother and father, but you don't really know your other parent.”

“Who's my mom?” Keiko had been asking every year, but was denied an answer until now.

“Okay, so women tend to give birth and carry babies, right? I'm a man, but I used to be a girl. I was able to carry and have you.”

“So you're my mom.”

“No. I'm your father.”

“How does that work?”

“When I was born, I didn't have the body of a boy. I have ‘girl’ parts, but I changed my appearance and the way I address myself. Despite my body, I am a man. Because my body still has… 'girl’ parts, but I'm a man regardless, okay? Your other father and I loved each other so much that we were able to create you.”

“Oh. So you're my dad, but you had me like mom would.”

“Yeah, kinda.”

“So… who's my other dad?”

“Lance is.”

“But you two met at the beach???”

“Before Cecilia's mother and her father met, we knew each other. We lost contact, so after I had you, I had no way of communicating with him, okay?”

Lance butt in, “I didn't remember your father because it had been such a long time. I'm so sorry about that. It had been such a long time that I met Cecilia's mother. Unfortunately, she passed away.”

“When we met at the beach, we didn't remember each other until we started talking about it today,” Keith sighed, hoping Keiko would understand, even with a few white lies.

“So… I had another dad and you knew, but you didn't tell me?”

“Yeah, I'm sorry, baby. How could you have met your father if we lost contact? I couldn't tell you.”

Lance got up and went to hug Keiko so tightly, “I'm sorry. I love you and I want you to know that. I suspected that I had another daughter out there, but I didn't know where.”

Cecilia looked up in confusion, “Are we blood sisters?!”

Lance nodded, “You two are related! I'm so happy you two are together.”

Keith paused, “You… suspected that you had another random child out there?”

“Yeah, I found evidence in my car about it and I thought there was a chance, but it was such a low chance that I forgot,” Lance shrugged, finally letting Keiko go.

Keiko didn't know what to think. Her dad carried her, but her step-dad was her _real_ dad? They didn't know either, but they technically did? She was so confused. Staring into her tea cup, she contemplated just not questioning anything anymore.

“We're both very sorry we didn't tell the both of you sooner,” Lance bit his lip, “Tomorrow you two are going to see the rest of your family, okay? Let's all celebrate that we're all going to be together for once.*

“Okay!” Cecilia was excited about this news! Keiko was her half-sister and she'd get to see her abuela again. Keith would soon be her dad, too; Mr. Keith was really nice! She hugged Keiko tightly, “I have a _real_ sister!”

Keiko looked at her and smiled. It didn't make much sense, but at least this was good news for the both of them. Sisters had a nice ring to it anyway. It was no longer a dream for her best friend to be her sister; it was a reality.

-

The family slept in except for Lance; he was panicking. His family had called two ubers just to pick up his mom, dad, sisters, and brothers. That included his niece and nephew, too. They were getting bigger and bigger. He was sure that they were at least in middle school by now. The cars parked up in the front, dropping the family off with their multitude of bags. As soon as Lance saw them in the driveway, he ran upstairs and woke Keith up, “Get up, get dressed. They're here **now**! Help the girls while I fix up the living room.”

Keith sprung up and got dressed in a nice jacket he had in the closet saved up. He quickly brushed his teeth and did his hair before running to the girls’ room. They were a little confused to why Keith was anxious, but then they heard multiple voices in Spanish laughing. They also got up to get dressed. None of them were prepared for an entire family like this.

By the time Keith and the girls got downstairs, Lance's mom walked up to them, greeted them in Spanish and got them to sit down in the living room. Lance had been teaching Keith Spanish, but they were speaking Spanish so fast and he couldn't catch what they were saying. The girls were fine, but it was odd being near so many unfamiliar faces.

Veronica sat next to Keith, “Hey, so how's everything? Have those Spanish lessons helped at all?”

“A bit, but everyone speaks so fast, I can't keep up,” Keith looked down, “They aren't going to disapprove of me and fly back to Cuba, are they?”

She laughed, “Of course not. Lance says way too many good things about you. It's suspicious, but I haven't seen him so happy. Mom hasn't either. She's almost certain that you did witchcraft on him.”

“She isn't going to kill me, is she?” Keith gulped. All of his different foster families couldn't prepare him to meet Lance's mother.

Lance's sister rolled her eyes, “She's loud, but she won't hurt you. Why would she hurt someone for loving her son so much that he's happy and healthy?”

“I don't know… For not being a woman?” Keith muttered, staring down at the carpet.

She sighed, “She probably doesn't approve of it, but you make him so happy that she can't refuse. I'm also a hundred percent sure that she loves Keiko.”

“She's going to kill him for premarital sex, isn't she?” He joked.

“That she definitely will. I mean, he technically knocked you up and left. It'll be a bit hard for her to understand, but she'll get it. She'll probably tell you to have more babies.”

“It's just more babies for her to dote on, right?”

“You're absolutely right.”

Lance sat to the other side of Keith and brought his mother over, “This is Keith. He's my fiance.”

“Hello, I'm Lance's mother. I hope he hasn't caused you much trouble,” She smiled, trying to calm Keith down. She knew automatically that he was nervous.

Keith greeted her in Spanish properly and took a deep breath, “I hope you'll let me marry your son.”

“Don't worry about it, okay? Just watch over him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid,” She smacked Lance upside the head, trying to prove a point.

Keith nodded, “Yes, ma'am. I will take care of your son to my best ability.”

“He isn't the prince or something,” Veronica snickered, “He's just Lance.”

“I'm a king to him,” Lance put a hand in her face, “You wouldn't understand.”

Keith sighed, siblings were talking right over him. Literally. Lance's mother got them to quit it, but they instead moved to a different part of the house to tease each other. This gave Lance's mom a chance to talk to Keith.

“I know about Keiko. Lance told me last night after you told him. He told Veronica and she told me. I'm so sorry about everything. I wish things were better for all of you. I'm just happy that you two were able to come together to form a family,” She gave Keith a big hug that he didn't know he needed.

Keith hugged her back, feeling relieved,“You aren't mad?”

“At my son? A little, but no. You two are _happy_ and _blessed_ . I want to see a smile on your face. I know things are hard right now, but you _must_ move on with a smile. If you don't, things will only get harder. Do it for your children. Do it for Lance. He loves you.”

“I love him, ma'am. I can't wait to marry him. I just hope things don't get worse.”

“They won't. Things will only get better. I'm old, I know these things.”

“Thank you, ma'am. I really needed this.”

“Call me 'Mama.’ You're in this _familia_ now,” She pat him on the back and watched as Cecilia played with her cousins and the dog. She was very small compared to them, but they still had fun. Keith noticed as Keiko didn't fit into the crowd. Everything was too loud and she didn't know them.

He went over, picked her up, and brought her to his seat. She felt better sitting next to him, but also was comforted by this old lady she didn't know. The old woman smiled at her, waving. Keiko looked up at her weirdly. Was this her grandma? What exactly was a grandma?

Keith sighed, holding Keiko up, “This is your grandma. She's Lance's mom. She's really nice.”

“Hi,” Keiko meekly greeted her, “I'm Keiko.”

“ _Hola,_ Keiko. I'm your _abuela._ It's so nice to meet you.”

“What's an abu… ela?” Keiko butchered up the word, but she meant well.

“It's grandma in Spanish,” The elder answered, “It's nice to know that you're my granddaughter. You're a quiet, yet beautiful child. You have my son's eyes.”

Keiko was captivated by her grandmother's sweet, gentle voice. It was nothing she was used to, but she loved it. She noticed the weird compliment, but Keiko didn't think much of it. She looked up at Keith, “I'm hungry.”

Keith was about to get up to make a quick breakfast, but Lance's mother stopped him, “I'll make breakfast for everyone. You don't have to do a thing.”

“No, I insist, please. I'll make something. It's fine.”

“No, you're too skinny, your food isn't good enough. I'm going to teach you to cook properly. Come with me.”

The trio went into the kitchen and the grandmother was already digging into the fridge. Lance noticed that his mother was invading his kitchen and grew terribly embarrassed. His mother was going to shout in three… two… one.

“ _¡Mijo!_ Why do you have no good ingredients in here? Everything in here is American and no good! You don't even have good eggs!” She wasn't yelling, but she was loud. It startled Keith and Keiko; no one had ever been that loud in their kitchen before.

Lance felt ashamed, “In America, people eat differently, Mama.”

She stopped him, “You're Cuban, don't rid your culture and food because you moved into a different country. You didn't change anything from the last time I came. Shame on you. You also shouldn't be ashamed for being Cuban either.”

“I'm sorry, Mama,” Lance huffed, “I'll go get more eggs from the store.”

“No, stay here. I'll be done making breakfast soon.”

Lance sat down in the living room, getting slightly judgemental looks from his other siblings. The United States was a weird place. He liked American food, though. He _did_ miss his mom's good food, though.

Keith watched as Lance's mother cracked eggs and got cooking. She used spices that Lance had around and used up all the fresh garlic they had. Keiko had no idea what she was doing, but it looked really good. In a matter of minutes, she was already done making food. Completely in awe, Keith clapped, “It smells really good.”

“ _Gracias, mijo._ Here,” She grabbed a fork and handed Keith a fork full of her breakfast concoction.

Eating, he was amazed. It was so flavorful and filling. _This_ was a _real_ breakfast.

Everyone was sitting down in the dining room eating, talking about their trip to the U.S. and how different the north of it was. Veronica and Rachel had been around Florida for jobs sometimes, but never up here. It was so much colder, but it was super close to May. Keith didn't say much since most of the conversation was in Spanish, but he did catch a few parts the more he listened. By around ten, the family decided to leave to check into their hotel. Keith was going to miss them. They were kind, lively people; it really felt like family. No wonder Lance missed them all the time.

-

It was finally time to start setting up the wedding. Everyone went to beach to help out with the wooden stand they'd be raised on, the seats, and the buckets of flowers they had around. It wasn't a fancy, large wedding, but it was the one they wanted. When they started setting things up, it had been around nine in the morning, but the couple soon had to leave for their legal wedding. It was a good thing that they had everyone else to watch over the girls for a bit.

They drove in silence, nervous about everything today. Neither of them had cold feet, but they were anxious. When they entered the courthouse, there were a few other people there doing multiple things before they finally were able to be seen. After their marriage was finalized on paper, the couple left, feeling like a weight was lifted off of their shoulders. Legal stuff always made them nervous, though. They weren't lawyers, after all.

They went back home to change into their proper suits before the small ceremony at three. They opened the door, expecting to see their not-so-small puppy, but the dog left with the girls to the beach where everyone else was. They were officially alone, taking the rest of the time for themselves.

“How much time do we have left before we go?” Keith was halfway up the stairs to their room.

Lance checked his phone, “Around three hours.”

“So, do you wanna get dressed now or take a shower?”

“Nah, I rather take a shower when we get back. We'll be tired and sweaty if we dance and socialize with cake.”

“O-Okay,” Keith felt as if none of it was real. Lance knew these things and Keith didn't. He was talked through everything, but it was overwhelming. In about three hours, he and his husband would be the center of attention for about the next three days.

At the very top of the stairs, Lance hugged Keith so tightly, “I'm so happy to be marrying you today. Thank you.”

“I love you,” Keith hugged him back, “I always will, marriage or not.”

They went into their room and pulled out their suits from the closet. They removed the plastic cover and admired them. They tried them on weeks earlier, but it was still an experience they would never forget. Keith started to dig into one of the drawers nearby and he pulled out new undergarments that Lance had never seen before. Watching Keith put them on, Lance smirked, “I see what you’re doing.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Keith chuckled, “I’m just putting on my undergarments.”

As soon as Keith had a certain undergarment on, Lance went at the elastic, pulling on it, snapping it against his skin, “I think you know exactly what you’re doing.”

“Let’s not do anything now, just wait until later, okay?” Keith put another undergarment on, “We’re not gonna do anything now.”

“Why not? We have three hours?” Lance snapped a strap on Keith’s thigh, “You wore this get up for me, didn’t you?”

Keith slapped his hand away, “Yeah, I did. I got this nice, fancy wedding lingerie and I’m _definitely_ wearing it for you.”

“Are you being sarcastic, huh?” Lance pulled him in by his waist, “You’re already mine… legally, of course. I don’t see why you _can’t_ do this for me.”

“These are still undergarments for my suit, y’know,” Keith laughed, pushing him away, “Stop, you’ll get it dirty.”

“No, I wanna smooch my husband!” Lance’s grip tightened, “Please!!”

“No! I don’t want this. I want it later,” Keith started to pull away from Lance even more, “C’mon!!”

Lance started to kiss up Keith’s chest, “You’re beautiful. I’m gonna treat you now.”

Keith kicked him in the shin, “Get off, you big smelly dog.”

“I’m offended! How dare you?” Lance let him go, “I don’t smell bad, do I?”

“No, but you let me go,” Keith finished putting on his lingerie and started to put on his suit, “Now you definitely can’t touch me.”

Lance whined, “Babe, please. Lemme smash.”

“No, Lance,” Keith put his undershirt on, “Go put on your suit before I get up and get married without you.”

“Who would you marry?”

“The dog.”

“You still haven’t named him.”

“I’ll let the girls do it. They should at least try to name him.”

“It’d be nice.”

“Of course it will be.”

“I’ll get dressed. You can watch my hot bod get covered.”

“I’m not chasing after you.”

“R00d.”

Keith laughed, getting dressed completely before Lance. The taller man took forever in the bathroom fixing his hair. Without realizing, it had been two hours and a half so it was finally time to go. Lance would be driving there, giving Keith some kind of princess treatment. When they finally saw the beach, their happiness grew tenfold.

They walked hand-in-hand all the way to the part of the beach that they rented. When they reached the wooden platform they had set up to stand on, everyone clapped. A photographer that Hunk contacted was already taking photos of them genuinely smiling and happy. It was something no one was used to.

The seats weren't filled with a thousand people and they didn't have any groomsmen, but it still felt whole and perfect. The individual letting them share vows was actually Shiro; he went out of his way to get a certification to do this only because he wanted to see how happy Keith was up close. It was one of the best decisions in his life. Lance wanted to say his vows to Keith first.

Everyone grew quiet, the only sound coming from the waves roaring. Lance faced Keith, taking a moment to breathe, “The _true_ first day I met you, I never thought it'd transform into this day. One night together ended up being so many. I fell in love with you, I gave my life to you when I didn't have any. You mean so much to me and I can't imagine living without you. I didn't think I'd be so lucky to find someone after the incident. I thought I was going to be alone, but you, my guiding light, had led me to a better, happier future. You're perfect the way you are and in all you do. You have been so selfless and kind when no one else has. I will forever love you unconditionally and without hesitation. No one will ever make me stop loving you. I can never, ever share this with anyone else. Keith, my beautiful, kind-hearted friend and lover. I promise to be there for you as you have been to me.”

By the end of his vow, Lance was tearing up just like at the engagement. Keith reached out and brushed a few tears away with his thumb, “Oh, Lance. I believe in you and the person you will grow to be. Us, together, will be an unstoppable power. We trust each other and care for each other. I promise to be faithful and loving, to take care of our children and raise them to be the best they can be, but I can't do it alone. You are an amazing father, lover, friend, and everything else that would take me ages to list out. I have never felt as loved with anyone else. You showed me true, unwavering love that is so intimate and warm. I wake up next to you, knowing everything will be okay. I don't know if it was pure luck running into you again, but I'm so happy to know I have you forever more.”

Cecilia was waiting with the rings to the side and presented them to her fathers. Shiro stood before them and announced, “With these rings, I thee wed. I now pronounce you husband and husband.”

Everyone started to clap and cheer, as they kissed. After they released each other, they gave each other a hug as a symbol of unity and support. It received a few 'aws’ in the audience. As they walked off the wooden platform and into the sand, their girls dropped everything to hug them. As they did, the photographer got a beautiful photo of them together. They soon left the rent part of the beach, leaving the girls to their family. They wanted a small break before heading to the party at Hunk's restaurant.

They decided to walk along the beach for a bit, letting all of their nervous energy out. Lance was holding Keith's hand, feeling the ring adorned on his finger, “We finally did it.”

“It took a long time, but it was worth it. Everyone came and they're happy. I'm so overjoyed and overwhelmed. I never thought I'd ever have a wedding.”

“I love you, y'know.”

“I know. I love you, too.”

“Tomorrow, I just wanna sleep in.”

“That sounds great.”

“Dealing with family and arrangements is so hard.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Later, are we still gonna have energy to bother with _doing_ it?”

“You’re a horny dog, it'll be easy.”

“Shut up. You're wearing _that_ under your clothes because _you_ wanted to.”

“I thought we might, so I wanted to prepare.”

“I mean, you're not wrong.”

They laughed and spent some more time together before getting to the party. It was loud with wine being passed around. All of the children were together at a table, eating fruit and snacks. Once they arrived, everyone cheered for them, urging them to sit. They grabbed the girls and sat with them, joyfully. They were handed plates full of good food and the party official started.

It wasn't that late into the night, but people were having a blast. Lance's family had music in Spanish playing in the background, but no one was dancing yet. It was loud, but calm. Keith enjoyed the loud talk and chat, it wasn't something he was familiar with, but it felt like _home._ Everything about everyone here felt like _home_ . Lance, especially, felt like _home._ He leaned into Lance, confiding in him, “This is nice.”

“It reminds me of when there was a birthday party back in Cuba. My brother would have a birthday party and everyone came, even people we didn't know would come and also enjoy conversations and food. It feels like home, Keith. It's so lonely up here. I wanted to move back to Cuba, but I don't know. I made my adult life here. Cecilia and Keiko only know this little spot. I don't think they'd be happy there, but I want to share with them our culture instead of this joke we have up here.”

“We can go to Cuba for vacation. I know we don't have much money for a honeymoon, but let's save up and take the girls for a week or two. They might enjoy it.”

“I think it's a great idea, but you know what else is a good idea?”

“Hmm?”

“Dancing.”

Keith internally panicked, “I, uh, never learned how to dance.”

“I got ya. Come on. Slow dancing is me guiding you around and you just follow. I'll ask my dad to change the music. Gimme a sec,” Lance got up, leaving Keith alone with the girls who were playing with the dolls they snuck in. Keith didn't really think that they would dance. They didn't necessarily plan it; no lessons were taken. Within a few minutes, Lance came back and led Keith away from the table.

A slow soft song in Spanish came on, filling the void of the space. Lance had Keith close to him, holding him from his waist. Keith looked up at him, trusting him completely. He didn't want to embarrass him; Lance didn't deserve that. As soon as the beat made its presence, Lance started guiding Keith throughout the room. It was so quiet, everyone watching them. When the song ended, everyone clapped, the music turned into something upbeat. Everyone else started to own the converted dance floor. Keith didn't feel comfortable enough to dance with them so he sat down back at his table. Lance stayed behind, dancing with his niece and nephew.

Keith didn't mind, be loved watching how happy Lance was. The girls continued to play until Cecilia left to dance with her father. Keiko stayed behind with Keith, looking up at him, “Daddy? It's loud.”

“I know, baby. I'm sorry,” Keith scooted his chair a little closer to her, “It'll be over soon. We'll get some yummy cake, take a picture or two and you'll go with Aunt Shay, okay?”

“Why can't I go with you?”

“We aren't going straight home after this,” Keith lied, he was _not_ going to tell her they were going to fuck.

“I can wait.”

“You can't come with us, I'm sorry,” Keith sighed, “We'll pick you up in the morning and go get ice cream.”

“Okay,” She looked sad, not really wanting to be away from her parents. She hadn't been with Keith all day.

Keith's heart broke; it was supposed to be a happy time, but his daughter wasn't happy. He went up and hugged her tightly, “Tomorrow we can play together all day. How about it?”

She nodded, not really feeling any better, but tomorrow would be okay. She left his grasp, going towards Cecilia who was now playing with her cousins. Keith felt like a failure as a parent, but he planned on making up for it.

A chair besides Keith was taken up by a familiar face, Shiro. He put a hand on Keith's shoulder, “Hey, congratulations. I never thought you'd even have a wedding one day. I feel like a dad seeing you in your suit.”

“Gross,” Keith joked, “I'm glad you were able to come. How’s the wedding so far?”

“It was great. I have to get going, but it was so nice to be there for the ceremony,” Shiro got back up, feeling a bit bad for leaving, but a few words were better than none. Keith got up with him, giving him a meaningful hug. He was happy that Shiro at least came.

“Can you at least stay for cake?”

“When are you cutting the cake?”

“We could now. Let me get Lance.”

Keith disappeared into the crowd, finding Lance sitting with his mother. They were laughing at something Lance pulled up on his phone. He called out for him, “Lance? Can we cut the cake now?”

Lance looked up at him, “Isn't it a bit early?”

“Shiro has to go and I want him to have a bit of cake, at least.”

“Alright,” Lance got up and got everyone's attention. Heading over to where the cake was, the photographer was already waiting. Lance took the knife that was sitting next to the cake and pulled Keith closer by his waist. They were quick about it and cut the cake together. It was a beautiful medium sized cake. A small cake topper that resembled them shook slightly as the cake was being cut up into pieces.

After the cake was passed out and everyone was sitting again, the photographer got more photo of the main power couple being celebrated. They took a photo or two with the girls and then one of the entire group that came since it was a small wedding. As soon as the big photo was taken, Keith and Lance took up a random bouquet that belonged to no one and threw it into the crowd. Shiro was heading out the door before being struck with the bouquet. Everyone started laughing before Shiro picked up the fallen arrangement and left with a huge smile on his face.

Keith was going to ask the photographer if he took a photo of that.

-

After the party ended and everyone left, the couple was driving home, excited to spend the night together. They had been secretly teasing all night with a few exceptions. When they got to their bedroom, Lance was trying his hardest to not pounce on his husband. Keith was irresistible and knowing that he was wearing lingerie under did _not_ help. Dancing and working up a sweat was the only way people wouldn't be seeing his chub.

Keith removed his jacket, and hung it up before removing the first few buttons on his shirt. Lance quickly started to undo his buttons in a desperate attempt. Stripping his lover, Lance saw glimpses of skin and lace. He squeezed what exactly he wanted without hesitation.

Lance chuckled to himself, “I've been wanting to do this for _so_ long. We've been so busy with this stupid wedding. Don't get me wrong, I love marrying you, but the party just makes us stall before our wonderful final course.”

He looked down at Keith like prey, licking his lips. Keith shivered, he loved the feeling of a definitely more confident, cocky Lance. Keith usually controlled what they did and didn't, but this time, he _wanted_ to be _wrecked_ inside and out. He had to make one last demand, however, “Strip.”

Lance did as told, trying to show off his strong arms. Working on them made them good for a certain thing, holding Keith down if he ever defied a demand. Keith could easily throw his ass over if he wanted, but alas, Lance holding him down was hot.

Keith felt this warmth explode in his belly, a warmth he missed. Lance grabbed him and held him up, kissing him all sloppy. All Keith could taste was the sweet chocolate cake against his lips. Lance bit at Keith's bottom lip, dragging out the feeling of exposure.

His hands groped and felt every body part and limb that was covered in lace and thin fabric. He started with the top Keith wore. It was just enough fabric to cover his nipples. Lance tore through that like a hot knife in butter, revealing his partner's chest. Keith didn't mind at this point, he was comfortable with his body and trusted Lance. Lance, however, just teased Keith's highly sensitive chest, trying to get him riled up. The more excited he was, the less lube they'd use. Lance goal, though, was no lube.

He pushed Keith's back onto the bed sheets, getting a better view of everything he saw. Keith looked up at him, lust fulling controlling him. He whimpered a bit; his years in a binder, his chest untouched, made him feel Lance's soft hands squeeze and tease so intensely. Lance ended up leaving them red and slightly marked by how much he loved _every part of Keith._

Lance then reached down to find the garterbelt and panty set Keith wore. He hadn't seen Keith wear stuff like this before. It made him wonder if he used to wear such things before he transitioned. He soon didn't think much of it before removing the useless piece of yarn. His hands ran along his husband's hips, feeling strong muscle and softness before he reached the garterbelt and stockings. He pulled on the elastic, snapping it against Keith's skin. Lance enjoyed seeing Keith keen over the matter. He quickly removed the last pieces of Keith's wedding set, adoring the artwork before him.

Keith was beautiful, but he seemed annoyed. Lance paused, “What?”

“You're just teasing me. Get on with it.”

Lance huffed, “I can't enjoy the fact that my husband is sexy as fuck?”

“Can I… ride you?”

“Like the first time we met?”

“Yeah.”

“Sure. You're gonna want a condom, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Let me find one.”

“Okay, no-ass. Hurry up before I become uninterested.”

“Thiccums, listen, I'm doing the best I can. I wanna fuck you, but if you wanna ride me that's fine, too. My dick is excited and if I hold it for too long, it hurts. You have nothing to complain about,” Lance got up and left to find a brand new pack of condoms he bought before the wedding.

Keith shook his head, “I have the right to complain about not _having_ a dick.”

“Okay, you're allowed to complain about that,” Lance finally found his pack of condoms and put one on, “What do you think? I got them in white.”

Keith rolled his eyes, “Get down and let me get on top.”

“You change your mind so fast. You wanted to get wrecked, but you wanna ride me?”

“Yup, now shut up.”

Keith got up on Lance, slowly lowering himself onto his husband's situation. Lance moaned, Keith felt so good all around his cock. He held onto Keith's hips like it was the last thing in the world keeping him alive. Keith slowly started moving, getting used to the feeling of being full of Lance. As soon as Keith had a pace, Lance started breathing heavily, blood rushed out all the way to his tip. Keith chuckled, watching Lance's face contort, “Good boy. Look at you.”

Lance felt Keith moved so subtly with his laugh; before he knew it, he came. He felt so embarrassed, Keith had barely started to move. Red and slightly sweaty, he felt vulnerable. Keith noticed this and didn't say anything much about it, “Wanna keep going?”

He nodded, “Yeah. Go until _you_ come.”

“Okay, man,” Keith started to fully bounce on his dick, feeling how hard Lance still was. He was already hard again. Oh well. After a few more moments of Keith going at it, he came, draping himself over Lance. It gave his husband an idea.

He switched places, Keith's back was soon on the bed again, but Lance took the initiative to keep going. He was still going to _wreck_ him. Lance was holding himself over Keith, thrusting straight into his folds. Keith cried out, “Lance- Please. Break me in _half_.”

Lance did just that. He used his grip to hold him down tightly and continuously shove his cock into Keith. At this point, he could see the bulge of Keith's abdomen. He felt pervertedly proud of that. Keith was a noisy mess, not expecting anything at all from Lance besides grunts. Lance was going at it so hard that Keith felt like Lance was fucking his pussy raw. Lance, due to how euphoric Keith was inside, he came for the final time. He kept going trying to get Keith to try at least one more time. It worked, but Keith couldn't really feel it due to how rough Lance was.

They took a breather, Lance lying down next to Keith, “Babe, that was fucking _amazing_. I'm so happy we went above and beyond today.”

“You were _so_ good,” Keith started, “You're a good boy. You're _my_ good boy. This felt so much better than anything else we've done before. Thank you, Lance.”

“No, thank you, sweet cheeks,” Lance >:3’d and it earned him a punch to the gut, “Ow. Babe, no, you love me.”

“I do, but not when you call me that,” Keith shook his head, “I want a bath, but I can't feel _shit_ down there.”

“I'll help you. C'mon. Grab on,” Lance slowly picked Keith up to support him, leading him down the hallway to the bathroom.

Lance got the water ready while Keith grabbed towels from the cabinet near the tub. They took a quick bath together and cleaned themselves off with a shower. When they got back to the bedroom, Lance changed the sheets and got in bed. Keith followed right after, feeling clean and loved. He rested his head against Lance's chest, feeling tired and worn out.

Lance held him close in a hug, kissing the top of his head. He was slightly wet from Keith's long hair, but he didn't mind. He loved Keith and that meant he loved his wet, shaggy hair. What he loved even more was that they spent their first night married, together. It didn't matter what they did, but what mattered the most was that they were together sharing moments of unity (whatever that means).

This night only meant so many more.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hunk and keith are on better terms now  
> keiko isn't comfortable with lance too much still  
> i remember that i was supposed to say something down here as a clarification for something but i forgot what- if u have a question, PLS ASK
> 
> ik the definition that keith gave keiko about being trans is slightly wrong, but it's easier for a child to understand that way.
> 
> edit: i remember what the clarification is  
> keiko was born march 15th!!!  
> ceci was born december 20th!!!


	16. Full

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i guess ill put a warning for intense gender dysphoria here  
> no smut!!

Because of how sad Keiko was, Keith got up super early just to pick the girls up. They were dead tired and so was Shay, but he felt terribly bad for earlier. They were asleep in the car and asleep when he finally got back home. Bringing them to bed was a piece of cake, but honestly, he felt terrible for taking them home at five in the morning. When he got back to bed, Lance was tossing and turning; he kept grabbing for something that wasn’t there. 

Keith looked down at him from where he stood, seeing how desperate Lance truly was without him. He got in bed, the mattress shifting due to added weight. Lance calmed feeling the familiar warmth to his side. Keith got closer to him, breathing in his smell and musk. Without much thought, Lance put his arms around Keith. A sleepy smile dragged along his face. Keith knew Lance was still asleep, but it was nice to know that Lance loved him no matter what.

-

Lance was woken up by Cecilia jumping up and down his chest. Her grin lit up the room without any impending darkness, “Papa! Daddy made pancakes! I can call him that now, right? Anyway, he made pancakes! I think he added blueberries to them! Hurry up!”

He groaned, he was too groggy to understand anything she said. After a few more of her bounces hurt his sternum, he finally understood what she was saying. She bounced one last time, “C'mon, Papa. What's wrong? Get up already!”

He picked her up and made a face of disapproval, “That hurt, y'know. I'll get pancakes in a sec.” 

“Yay!” She was set back down on the ground and ran out of the room, Keiko was waiting at the door frame for her, but soon ran out with her. They both looked happy as they left, so he assumed Keith was pulling out the big guns and texted Hunk for this pancake recipe.

He never thought that Keith would end up on good terms again with Hunk, but they argued over him and then that was fixed; nothing was really wrong here. He went to the bathroom and sighed, he looked  _ really _ tired, but it  _ was _ the day after the wedding. He stretched and checked over his pajamas. He was presentable to his family now.

Lance walked out into the hallway above the stairs, he heard the television roaring; he assumed it was a cartoon of some sort; it was probably Elena of Avalor or something. As he descended the stairs, he smelled the pancakes. They were decadent and rich, sweet and buttery, maple syrup lingered at his nose. He heard the plates and silverware click against each other accompanied by the sound of the girls chattering. Lance assumed they were already eating.

As he arrived at the kitchen, Keith was there, his butt the only thing sticking out of the refrigerator. He got out and held a stick of butter, “When we made the pancakes, I thought I used up all the butter, but I found an extra stick. You want some, right?”

Lance stared, too tired to respond right away. He blinked a few times, getting a concerned look from his husband. 

“Are you okay? Are you tired? You can sleep some more if you want. I have batter left over. I can make you more later.”

“Nah, I'll eat now.”

“Good, I thought you had a cold or something. You look pale.”

“I'm just a little tired from last night.”

“Last night? Yeah, I kinda suspected that. You  _ really _ went at it. I'm tired, too.”

Lance chuckled, remembering last night's events. That was…  _ delicious _ . He sat down at the table and noticed the girls talking about Elena. Cecilia was so excited about it that she started talking up a storm. Keiko just laughed, agreeing with her statements.

Keith was getting some pancakes off the griddle for Lance on a plate. He then set the plate full of fluffy, hot pancakes in front of him, “Listen, I got Hunk's recipe and I didn't think it'd be any good because  _ I _ made them, but I hope you like them.”

“They look  _ so  _ good. I'm a hundred and ten percent sure that they're delicious. You did a good job, babe,” Lance spread a dab of butter on his pancakes with a drizzle of syrup and took a big bite. He moaned, they were  _ sooooo _ fucking  _ good. _

“Are they any good?” Keith sat next to Lance with his own plate of pancakes, “The girls aren't picky when it comes to sugar, so I was hoping you wouldn't be bias with me.”

Lance profusely nodded, “These are the  _ best _ pancakes I've had in  _ years _ !” 

“The girls helped out. They had a lot of fun stirring,” Keith chuckled, getting up, “Let me get you some coffee.”

He went towards the old coffee machine and pulled out a mug that had “Papa” written on it with crayon. It was something that Cecilia made him when she was three. Filling it to the brim, he placed the mug in front of Lance. Lance saw the beautiful reminder on his husband's hand; the ring. He smiled seeing that Keith wore his. 

Keith didn't sound so pleased, “I know this isn’t Cuban coffee, but it's all we had. We'll need to go to the store.”

“We'll go tomorrow. Don't worry about it.”

“Okay, but don't forget to write out a list. Eat your pancakes before they get cold.”

“Okay, okay. Geez.”

Lance ate all of his pancakes, savoring each bite. Keith did the same to his own stack of pancakes. The girls were devouring their own and after they abandoned their empty plate to go to the television. Keith watched as they were playing out a scene with Cecilia’s dolls, but Lance kept himself in the moment between them. 

Keith reached out for Lance’s wedding band and fiddled with it, getting used to the feeling of this object stuck on his husband’s hand; Lance immediately noticed. He didn’t say anything, but it felt nice. 

“I don’t say it enough, but I love you. I love you as much as I did at our wedding yesterday. Even when we first met, I really liked you. I should’ve given you my phone number from the start,” Keith’s voice softened into a mush only Lance understood.

Lance held Keith’s hand now, “I remember as if it was yesterday, the first time we met.”

“We recreated it last night,” Keith smirked, giving Lance a sultry look.

Lance laughed, holding up Keith’s hands as if they were kitten paws, “You’re a naughty kitty. I just might have to tie you up.”

Keith snickered, “That’s not a bad idea.”

-

The summer before Cecilia started school, Keith decided to finally implement the garden. She wanted it so badly, so why not indulge her? Cecilia was dressed in overalls and rain boots, ready to face the dirt and garden. Keiko was sitting in the patio in the back, she claimed it was too hot to go out in the sun. Keith disagreed since it was early May, but so be it. Earlier that week, Keith had cleared up the land, so everything was ready to be planted. Cecilia pulled out the seeds that Hunk gave her for her birthday and Keith started to show her how to plant.

They both got on their knees and took the dirt in their hands. Keith opened up the packet of seeds and started to show her the seeds themselves, “You see? If we were going to plant just a few sunflowers, it would be best to have individual containers for each, but since we’re gonna plant a lot, it would be best to plant all of them in the dirt.”

“Okay,” She held up the seeds, “They’re pretty.”

“Just imagine when they’re fully grown,” Keith chuckled. He made a small well in the soil and showed it to Cecilia, “Make a small hole this big, okay?”

She nodded, making her own little hole not too far away, “Like this?”

“Perfect,” He smiled and handed her a seed, “Put this in, okay?”

She dumped the seed into the hole she made and covered it just like Keith showed her. He smiled, “Okay, so now we gotta do that for the whole plot.”

“I got it,” She started to get up and move around, making holes everywhere.

Keith laughed, pulling out his phone. He needed to show Lance how adorable his baby was. She was digging and then she didn’t. She looked up at Keith, terrified. He gulped, he didn’t want it to be bones or something. He got down near Cecilia and sighed. An earthworm. Keith pulled the creature out from the ground. She started to cry out, “IT’S A BUG.”

“No, it’s an earthworm. They help the soil be nutritious and wet for the plants,” He laughed, “It doesn’t bite. Don’t worry. Let’s let the little guy do his thing. He’ll do us a big favor.”

Keiko heard the word “earthworm” and ran into the plot from the patio. For some reason that didn’t make sense, she liked worms and bugs; she kept asking Keith for a tarantula. She took the worm from Keith’s hands, “I’ll name it Henry.”

“You can’t keep the worm out of the ground for too long. He’ll die, put him back,” Keith sighed.

Cecilia noticed her sister finding enjoyment in the worm and looked over her shoulder, “It kinda looks like a centipede, but without legs.”

“Kinda, but it’s… slimy and… moist. I love it,” Keiko gently put the earthworm into the ground. 

Their family dog came out of nowhere and made his presence known. He ran up to them and sniffed the ground where Keiko left the worm. He ate the worm. Keith sighed, “At least he isn’t eating the seeds.”

The dog started to eat the seeds. Keith forcibly put him back inside, but as soon as he turned around, he found the dog eating the seeds again. He put the dog back inside and locked the door. It somehow worked. Odd. 

He went back down into the dirt and found Cecilia and Keiko playing with the seeds. He pouted, “Are you girls ever gonna name the dog?”

“Kosmo, with a k,” Cecilia suggested, “It's like Keiko's name.”

“Okay, I guess that's his name now,” Keith shrugged, “I feel like Thunderstorm Darkness would fit better.”

Keiko cringed, “That's lame. You're bad with names.”

“I named you, didn't I?”

“But that was Grandma's name.”

“I guess…”

Cecilia made a face, “I wanna plant more seeds. Keiko, you're gonna help me.”

Keith made the assumption that she was bored, so he gave her more seeds and handed a few to Keiko. His eldest didn't look pleased with the idea of being in the sun for that long, but she liked bugs and dirt. They continued to plant more and more seeds until the plot was completely covered in small domes of dirt.

By the time Lance got home, the family started to make dinner together. It was fun peeling carrots and snipping off the ends of French green beans. Lance happily helped, peeling the skin off of potatoes. They were going to roast everything in the oven with a side salad. It was healthy and light unlike a meaty stew; it was perfect for the summer. 

After they cooked and ate, Keith decided to show Cecilia how to make brownies using another BuzzFeed video, of course; it was easy enough to follow. Keiko already went through that with him so she sat in the living room, drawing with colored pencils instead of crayons. She was drawing a bunch of different animals that she saw on television like elephants, dolphins, and her favorite animal of all time: the octopus. 

Lance walked down the stairs to find Keith and Cecilia covered in flour and smiled. He was so delighted to see how happy they were. And then he looked to the side to find his daughter alone. She didn't look lonely, but she did look uninterested in what her other father and sister were doing. 

Taking this as his chance to bond with her, he sat next to her on the couch. She didn't look at him, but didn't seem to mind his presence. 

“Hi, Keiko. What are you drawing?” 

“An octopus.” 

“Those guys are pretty cool.”

“They are.”

“In my lab, I study octopuses. They're very smart and try to outsmart me all the time. It's like trying to control an angry monkey sometimes. We give them puzzles and stuff, but they get bored after solving it twice.”

“Is it true that after they mate, they die?”

“Yeah, but their babies carry on their  _ leg _ -acy.”

Keiko laughed at his silly joke. Lance felt like he died and went to heaven; his baby liked his joke! He smiled, “Octopuses don't get easily impressed, but when they do, they get excited. How do you get an octopus to laugh?”

“How? They can't laugh.”

He grinned so evilly, reaching out to tickle her, “You give it ten-tickles!”

Keiko was at the mercy of his fingers, dropping her pencil. She laughed so hard it was like a bright bell. He had so much love for her and it only exponentially increased. Keith overheard his daughter from far away and smiled; Lance was getting along with her. That was a good sign. When Lance allowed her to breathe, Keiko had a big smile on her face; he was funny. 

“Tell me something else about octopuses!”

“Okay, um, no matter what, they always have eight arms. Some of these tentacles are webbed like a duck and some are not. How does an octopus go to war? Well armed.”

She snickered, “I wanna see an octopus.”

“Well, tomorrow, I'll take you to my lab. The really big lab is for bigger projects and each biologist has their own smaller one in an office. Or well, kinda? I don't really know, but my office/lab is the coolest thing. Our technical support team is literally in my office because I have the biggest and my friend, Pidge, is up there. She watches over all the cameras that are on boats that go out onto sea. I have a really big tank that has an octopus and then I have these cool incubator for octopus eggs. I used to have two octopuses, but one of the octopuses had eggs and I didn't even know it. They ended up passing away. The other one, the survivor, is an unmated male octopus.”

She grew excited; a lab with octopuses??? She loved the idea. Her father studied her favorite animal? Amazing. She handed him her drawing, “Here. This is for your office. Your octopus won't get lonely!”

He gladly took the drawing with a large smile, “Thank you. I'm sure he'll love it.” 

She hugged him out of gratefulness, “I can't wait to go. Thank you!”

-

The next day was fine and dandy, Keith went to work taking the girls with him because he would never leave them alone. Lance was cleaning up his lab for the arrival of his daughter, nervous since she would be judgemental with just a look. She seemed happy, so he wasn't worried. By the time Keith got home, Lance was already in the kitchen from his lunch break. 

Lance already had lunch heating up and smiled once he saw his family back, “How was work?”

“Good. The girls were antsy to get home,” His husband chuckled, “I’m just happy to be home for the rest of the day.” 

“Did you water the garden yet?”

“No, but I will after dinner. The sun will dry out the water if I go out now.”

“Yeah, yeah. Well, I heated up some paninis.”

Cecilia decided to interrupt their conversation, “What’s a panini?”

“A sandwich, but toasted,” Lance answered, “I put pickles in it.”

“Oh! Pickles,” She smiled, sitting down at the kitchen table, awaiting her beloved panini. Keiko sat right next to her, also excited for her panini, even if she didn’t like pickles too much. 

Lance set the paninis down for everyone to eat, but after, he was going to take Keiko away to visit the lab. Keith sat down with the rest of his family and just ate his panini without saying a word. He thought it was odd that Lance decided to attempt to bond more with Keiko now. He was nice all the entire time and treated her with kindness and respect, but is there a reason as to why he didn’t do it before? Keiko didn’t seem to care though, she was too busy enjoying her panini. He shook his head, no point on lingering on it.

-

Keiko brought her octopus plush that Keith made her and held Lance's hand as they walked all the way down to the lab. It was short five minute walk, so they weren't too tired after. Lance ended up getting a bunch of looks from his co-workers because they were never told about this other child before. He didn't mind, but he would have to tell them later; it was better than looks asking if he kidnapped her. They looked like family, right? She had his eyes for sure, so that was a point in the book. Finally making it down the hallway to his lab, he was greeted by Pidge who was just about to get coffee from the break room. 

“You know better than to get coffee after lunch,” Lance sighed, feeling like he was watching over Pidge, too.

She shrugged and waved, “I do, but do I care? No. Hey, Keiko.”

The little girl waved back at her and then looked up at her father again; he seemed disappointed in his friend. Oh well. She left before he was able to say much else.

Lance opened the door and showed her around. She noticed that her drawing was taped onto the side of the tank. The octopus kept touching the glass, interested in said drawing. She ran up to the glass, not touching it. She waved, “Hi, Mr. Octopus.” 

The octopus took interest in Keiko and then put his tentacles against the side of the glass she was closest to. Keiko held up her octopus plush while the octopus just processed what exactly it was. She laughed, “What's his name?” 

“I don't know. I never bothered to give it a name,” Lance was honest.

She pouted, trying to come up with a name, “Let's name him George!”

He was surprised, “That's not a bad name. I think he likes it.”

The octopus started to move to the top of the tank where the lid was. Lance undid the latch and the octopus went free. It just started to move his tentacles around the edge. Lance smiled, “You wanna touch him?”

She nodded, “Yeah.”

“Okay, wash your hands real quick,” He pointed to a small sink nearby, “I don't want you or the octopus to get sick, so this helps a bit.”

She ran over to the sink and washed her hands, Keiko was proud that she followed instructions for once. He did the same and then went up to the tank to slowly pick up the octopus. Keiko's eyes lit up as she got to touch the creature. It didn't look scared or worried at all. It knew that she wasn't Cecilia and Keiko found it fascinating. Lance also took note of this.

“He won't get to live for too long, but I got permission to go back out on the water. I plan on releasing this guy and the eggs I have incubating,” He smiled, “Wanna see the eggs?”

“Yeah!” She started to bounce a little, of pure excitement, “Take me one day, okay?”

“When you're older. Keith would kill me if anything happened to you by accident. I'm pretty I'd go crazy if anything happened to you. It's dangerous, but for now, let's go see these eggs.”

He had a closed off tank to the side and slowly undid the lid. At the very end of the tank were small tiny eggs in the shape of tears. She was surprised about how small they were, “When will they hatch?” 

“Soon,” He shrugged, “Hopefully I'll be able to go out one of these days to release them. It won't be safe for them to stay here for much longer.”

“Take pictures, okay? I wanna see!” She started to bounce again as he closed the lid. 

He smiled, “I will. Don't worry. I'll probably catch another octopus to replace this big guy. Maybe I might catch a female.” 

“Oooo,” She had the largest smile on her face, “Can octopuses feel love?”

Lance stopped for a minute, “Um, maybe? I know they understand bonds. I don't know about love. How would I measure that? I guess I can try to figure that out and throw a hypothesis at you.”

Pidge walked in to find a confused Lance and an excited Keiko. She ignored it and went to her computer station. She turned on all the cameras and communications. She was able to hear everything from the ocean water to what the scientists on boats were saying. Keiko walked up to her station in awe. This one scientist was studying scallops and they were moving in the water! Keiko looked up at Lance again, “Please take me when I'm older! I wanna see all of these things myself one day.”

Lance scooped her up in his arms, “Definitely. Maybe you might wanna take up my job when you're older. Maybe this weekend I can take you to the ocean. I can show you about clams. Octopuses love clams you know.”

“Really?” 

“Yup!” He chuckled, “Sometimes I feel like you're a clam. Not in a bad way, but it's hard to get you to open up. I'm glad I was able to.”

“You're my papa. It shouldn't be hard for you,” She looked a little disappointed.

Lance felt his heart tighten, “I'm sorry I didn't try earlier, baby. It'll be okay. Let's just not clam up again, okay? I can trust you and you can trust me. If you wanna do anything that doesn't involve either of us getting hurt, I'll be glad to do it with you. I love you, never forget that.”

He kissed her cheek, her slight frown turning upside-down. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a tight squeeze, “I love you, too. Thank you for showing me your lab today.”

“Nope. Thank  _ you _ for wanting to come with me today,” He scratched her with the slightly stubble he forgot to shave off this morning. She screeched, pushing him away, “No!!!”

Pidge turned in her seat a little, Lance was such a good father. She couldn't help but watch them. Sometimes she didn't understand as to why Lance was so loving towards children, but that was it. Seeing them happy meant the world to him and she felt that pure joy. She was happy it wouldn't be the last time seeing her there.

-

Lance had left for a good portion of the week out go to on a small mission. It was just octopus release and retrieval. He had to find a good place to drop off the eggs safely which took a long time, but then he had to actually find another octopus. Which that also took a long time, but he finally did it and went back home. He missed his kids and his husband in the time he was gone. 

The family welcomed him at the front door the night he came home. They gave him many hugs and kisses, but Lance had stop them for a mandatory shower. When he was clean and presentable, he decided to show the girls all of the photos and videos he took along the way. That was a happy night filled with warmth and joy. Lance remembered that this wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for Keith, so he decided to confront him even later that night. 

They were in bed together, the A/C on full blast for comfort. Lance had his arms around Keith, “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too. It was hard without you helping out.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Taking care of the girls and helping me become healthy enough to even go out on the water again. I loved it; I missed it. I feel fulfilled. It's all thanks to you. I've never been happier. I love you so much.”

Keith was relatively silent after hearing that; he couldn't believe all of the love he was getting. Lance started to worry from the lack of words coming from his husband's mouth, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, but I feel like I don't deserve your praise. I'm just doing what's needed as a husband and parent. I'm not saving the world or something.”

“You saved my  _ universe _ , Keith.”

Keith couldn't help but just kiss the ever loving fuck out of Lance. He loved this man more than anything else (besides the girls, of course). 

After lingering in each other's embrace, Lance sat up, “While on the ship, I was thinking of something. I, uh, don't want you to take this the wrong way. You can say no if you want to, but… I want to have another child with you. Please don't get upset. We don't have to. I-I just thought it might be something that we both might want or something, but you don't have to agree. I’m happy the way our family is, but it’s just more added happiness, y’know??? I-I get that it's up to you and stuff, bu-”

Lance was rambling because he was afraid of insulting Keith, but his husband just interrupted him, “Lance. It's okay. Calm down. Take a deep breath and look at me.”

His husband did that slowly, taking in everything around him. He started to notice that Keith wasn't upset at all. Oh. 

Keith smiled softly, “I'd absolutely love to have another child with you.”

“Really? You're not agreeing because you feel forced to, do you?”

“No, Lance, please. I love you. I want this for us. I don't think the girls would mind of just one more sibling.”

Lance felt as if a weight was lifted off of his shoulders, “I love you to the moon and back.”

He hugged Keith so fucking tightly, only to get an equally tight hug back. What they didn't know was all the trials and tribulations they had to go through in their future.

-

Keith called in for a doctor's appointment the next morning. The nurse had to refer him to a new doctor that opened up a new center in the same hospital that Shiro worked at. That hospital had an award-winning maternity and pediatric unit (surprisingly enough), but this was only claimed since they had very little fatalities (huh). As he called the new office, he ended up getting an appointment for later that day. Keith just assumed that they didn't have many people coming in since this office just opened. 

Lance had the rest of the afternoon off since he fixed up his office for his new specimens the morning of. Lance was excited to take Keith in. Keith, on the other hand, didn't seem very excited. He wanted another child very badly, but he knew that being trans had its own issues; however, he didn't tell Lance at all, the poor guy had his hopes so up. They took the girls with them and told them that Keith was just going in for a check-up; Keiko knew something was off, though. Keith never went to this side of the hospital before. 

Keith told Lance to wait in the waiting room as he went into room behind the front desk. The nurse got his blood pressure and his other vitals. She also got his height and weight. He wasn't too pleased with his weight, but so be it. She led him to a room and just told him to wait until the doctor was ready. 

He sat there just thinking of all the things that might go wrong. His reproductive organs weren't functioning as they were supposed to since he had been on T for years on end. There was a concerned voice behind the door that sounded familiar to Keith. He couldn't put his finger on who it was, though. The door open and Keith was in shock. It was Shiro's ex-fiance: Adam. The nurse who referred him never said who the doctor was. 

Adam looked at his laptop for the name of his patient and then he looked up at Keith. “Keith, I never thought I'd ever see you as my patient. It's so nice to see you again. How are things over here? It's so different from Texas.”

“It's been great. I graduated from community college because Shiro convinced me to not drop out, I had a kid, I married the guy I think of as my soulmate. It's been such a wild ride, but I'm so happy here. I should let Shiro know you're here. He'd be so happy to see you. He misses you so much. I'm sure he'd cry.”

“Please don't. I want to tell him on my own accord. The only reason why we broke up was because we both knew this long distance thing wouldn't work out. I couldn't leave Texas to come here so soon. He had the opportunity to. I still love him, but I didn't know if he wanted to see me again. I took an opportunity that was given to me but it took such a long time. I'm finally here, so as soon as I settle down, I'll contact him. Let's keep this between us, so tell me, why exactly are you here?”

“I, uh, want to have another child with my husband. Okay, so a few years after we moved here, I had a one night stand with this guy and I didn't have any symptoms, but I had a baby. She came out of nowhere, but she was healthy and so was I. I was on testosterone the entire time and I was an alcoholic. I was around smokers all the time, but she came out healthy regardless. She's five-years-old now, but I've been on T for much longer. I'm afraid that I'm sterile or my organs won't work as they used to. I was given a uterus that I screwed up and can’t even use. I didn't tell my husband any of my concerns because he was so happy. I would do anything to have this child for the both of us. I would love to have another child with him, but I know I might not be able to. We have two girls right now, so if this just doesn't work out, then we'll be okay.”

“Where did the other girl come from?”

“My husband's first marriage didn't work out and his wife passed away during labor. To think we were so young when all of this happened. I feel like we would’ve made much better decisions. I mean, the guy I had the stand with  _ is _ my husband. I consider the girl my own. She's so sweet. I'm so content, but I really want another child.”

“Well, I'm so happy and proud of you. You've become so responsible and I see Shiro must be proud, too. For now, I'm going to run a few tests, but you need to stop taking testosterone. It's not going to help your hormone production needed for conceiving and the baby won't have a higher chance of survival. You're getting older. You're not young anymore, we need to take things one step at a time. We can't be risky. You'll be thirty in two more years. Please, Keith, I know you want to rush into this, but you can't.”

“I know. I was supposed to have my dose today, but I skipped it. I don't want this to be like my first daughter. I worry so much about her. They say nothing is wrong with her, but I know what I did and she was supposed to die because I drank so excessively.”

“Do you drink now?”

“No. The last time I drank was during my wedding earlier this year and I felt so disgusted that I couldn't finish a glass. I kept thinking of my baby.”

“Good. I need you to be as healthy as possible. Diet, exercise, and no stress. Or well, I need you to try. I remember Takashi being unhealthy and idiotic when we studied together in medical school. I saw some of his habits catch on to you, but I see you're doing better. How is Shiro? Is he okay?”

“Yeah, but he's lonely and considering leaving the field. He still eats frozen meals and I keep telling him to learn how to cook.”

“Oh… That's too bad. Hopefully I can convince him to stay a bit longer. Maybe I can teach him to cook one of these days.”

Adam smiled, “Well, I'm happy to see you again. Hopefully we can work a few more things out. I'm going to have to test your husband, too. I was thinking we can have a dual appointment with one of our fertility and genetic specialists for both you and your husband. It'll take a while. For the next time the both of you have a day off, set an appointment for then.”

“Thank you, Adam. I really appreciate it. My husband is here right now if you want to get a quick test done right now.”

“You know what? How about both of you get a blood test done. Outside this office there will be a lab to the right where they draw out blood. I'll get my nurse to put in a request for you and your husband. We'll do it in the front desk if you don't mind. We'll need his name and stuff. Here, I'll walk you out.”

“I honestly can't thank you enough.”

“We haven't even done anything yet,” The doctor laughed, “C'mon.”

By the time Keith and Adam made their way to the front desk, Lance had two napping girls on him; they got tired of waiting. Adam took a good look at Lance and smiled, Keith was a lucky man. He could see why Keith and his husband really wanted another kid. Adam only hoped Keith would be able to carry. He considered it a miracle for Keith's first born to be healthy. Maybe Keith could do it again. When the family left the office, Lance was asking a shit ton of questions.

“Babe, what did they say? When can we start trying?”

“They're going to do a few tests on both of us before they can say we can try. Like, right now, we both have to get our blood drawn.”

“Seriously? Ugh,” Lance groaned. The girls were still asleep, but they were slowly waking up. 

Keith elbowed him for being too loud; they couldn't have the girls knowing. If anything went wrong, it'd scar the girls forever. It'd be best if they didn't know.

Keiko immediately heard and lifted her head up, “I heard something about blood being drawn.”

Her father made a face, “Okay, so listen, they just wanted to make sure that both of us are okay. Nothing is wrong. I guess your papa can finally put you down since you’re awake.”

She pouted and soon left Lance’s arms, “Whatever. You’re terrible at lying.”

“You might find out sooner or later, okay?” Keith sighed, “Well, we’re going now.”

-

As soon as they went home, Keith had millions of thoughts running through his mind. They were going to check their fertility as a couple approaching thirty, but also they probably want to flush out all of the extra testosterone in his body. He wasn’t into the idea of looking like a woman again because that sucked ass. The girls were playing with Kosmo and Lance was doing a face mask. It was common for a Friday. Since it was getting late, he pulled out a watering can and filled it up. While the girls were busy, he was able to water the garden faster than when they were there. The sunflowers were growing so tall. He was somewhat proud, but everyday they would talk to the flowers, so they grew a little bit everyday. 

As soon as he got back inside, Lance went up to him, “We need a mask on you. You haven’t had one in a while.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes,” Lance pulled him inside their bedroom and washed his face before applying the mask on him. 

Keith didn’t like doing all of these girly things either. He didn’t feel good either, it was probably because he skipped his dose. 

“You look tired, are you okay? Did you do anything stupid and reckless right now?” Lance was squishing his cheeks since the mask dried up by now.

He shook his head, “I skipped a dose. I needed to do it today, but it’s toxic for a fetus.”

Lance paused, getting up and locking the door, “So, um, is this detransitioning?”

“Not necessarily because I will always be a man, whether I end up looking feminine or not.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No, it’ll just be complaining and I don’t have the right to complain since this is what I truly want.”

“I will always love you the same, no matter what you look like.”

Keith kissed his cheek in response, “Thank you, Lance. I love you, too. They’ll tell me to stay off of it for a year or so. If I feed, I can’t take it either. I’ll probably feed for a while and then stop.”

“Are you scared?”

“Yeah. I’ve been looking masculine for years. The last time I looked remotely feminine was high school. I don’t know what grown up me would look like feminine. It’d probably shock me, I’m not gonna lie about that. You’ve made me feel more open to typically feminine things like not using one soap for everything and face masks. It makes me feel a little uncomfortable, but you’re a masculine guy and you still do it.”

“It doesn’t make me any less of a cis male, does it?”

“No, so it shouldn’t make me feel any less of a man either, but it’s more… meaningful, I guess.”

“It’ll be okay. I’ll be here for you every step of the way. When do you think we’ll be able to start trying?”

“You’re horny. You can say so. I don’t know, so that’s why I’m waiting for the doctor to give me orders. I’m thinking after I get my period again. I read online that it’s usually after I get my period.” He gagged, “I have to buy pads again! Gross.”

“I’ll take care of yo-”

“Lance, I can take care of myself. I don’t need you to help me with everything. I have it under control.”

“I want to help, though. I love you and I want to.”

Keith huffed, “I’m gonna take this mask off. It’s itchy.”

He left the room and went to the bathroom and started to get the water running. He wondered if Lance understood why he was upset; if not, he had to apologize later. He didn’t want to depend on another man, he didn’t know if Lance saw him as an equal sometimes. It kind of hurt thinking like that, he hoped Lance didn’t end up like that.

He went back to the room to find Lance tangled in the sheets, upset. His voice felt strained, “I’m gonna put the girls to bed. I’ll be back.”

“Alright.”

Lance walked out of the room and called the girls out from the living room, “It’s time for bed.” 

Keith could hear the girls running up the stairs with Kosmo. They made things seem so surreal and full, it was lively. If they were able to have another kid, that’d be great. If not, they would be happy. Was it worth leaving hormones and getting tested? Maybe. At this point of time, he didn’t know yet. Lance didn’t know. Lance had a feeling that it wouldn’t be easy soon as they were sent for a lab. For  _ him _ to be checked, it was sign that Keith might not get pregnant. They were married and had two beautiful little girls, but he wanted one that they could both raise from nothing. Lance wanted another opportunity to be a great dad unlike his mistakes for both girls. Cecilia deserved more love and Keiko deserved more time. He couldn’t fix that now; it was too late, but now all he could do was try to fix it. 

Lance also wanted to experience pregnancy with Keith. As selfish as it sounded, but he wanted to see everything he missed out on with Lauren. He always opted out of things with her because he was full of rage and sadness, but it wasn’t like that anymore. However, he didn’t know Keith’s limits either. Lance knew he was going to look more feminine. He knew that Keith was going to suffer internally with his feelings about his looks. He wanted to give Keith support because he didn’t give any to Lauren and everyone suffered from it. He knew Keith was strong and independent, but he wanted to be there for him. He knew Keith skipped out on the parental feelings when it came to Keiko, so he wanted to give that Keith, too. 

It wasn’t even a day in and Lance felt like he already failed.

-

They both got tested that Saturday. Lance was healthy with a high sperm count, too. Keith still had high levels of testosterone, but the good news was that he wasn’t completely infertile. His body was in shock, but otherwise, he was fine. He didn’t feel good at all; the entire time he felt as if he was on his period just without blood. Everytime Lance would try to help, Keith got upset and pushed him away.

Lance noticed that Keith started to work out more, despite seeing him cramp up with pain. That didn’t seem healthy at all. Keith didn’t want to be touched at all. He would wear baggy clothes and tie all of his hair back. It took a month before Lance saw physical changes. When he did, Keith got worse and worse. Sometimes he’d find Keith in the back patio, hiding, covered in sweat and pale. His body didn’t process the hormone out in the best way. When his period hit, he sat in bed, crying from the pain. It was so much worse than what he usually had. Lance went out and got him a period care package, got him hot tea, and even got out a heating pad for him. That week was the only time Keith accepted his help.

When the fertility clinic started to track his cycle, they gave them the green-light to the start trying, so they did. Keith was finally starting to feel better from his symptoms as the period flushed out most of the hormone. Lance didn’t say anything about the way he looked, but he liked it. He didn’t want to admit that he liked what he saw, but he touched Keith more. He didn’t want to give Keith the wrong idea, though. His skin became softer and Lance constantly reached out to him. Was Lance slightly jealous of his skin? Yes. Lance even noticed that his skin cleared up from the small dots that would sometimes appear. It wasn’t even acne, but he had never seen such uniform skin before. Keith, masculine looking or not was beautiful and attractive. The girls noticed, but didn’t say anything because they didn’t really care. Keith was Keith and they noticed that Keith felt a lot better from everything he was suffering from previously. That’s all that mattered to them anyway. 

Keith stared at the mirror in front of him. He didn’t like what he saw. It was what he expected. He had his muscles, but they weren’t as big as they were, despite the same workouts he did. He looked… softer… he looked like a mother. He hated it. He wasn’t a mother, he was  _ father _ . Fathers didn’t have large hips, much less this chest. Fathers had strong arms to carry their families on their shoulders. All he had were hips to carry children and bare them. His pants didn’t fit the same way; none of his clothes did. Some places grew tight and others became loose. He didn’t want to go out and expect people to call him “Ma’am” or “Mrs.” He wished that he grew facial hair while on testosterone, but he never did. He had hair, but it was never enough sometimes. He hated that his face looked so soft and warm. He wanted his strong, sharp appearance. 

Why did Lance touch him more? Why did Lance care more? Was Lance secretly straight? Lance was with Lauren and had a child with her. Was that why Lance stayed with him? Because he had feminine parts? Because he used to be a girl? Is that why Lance pushed the idea of a pregnancy. He’d do anything to have a child with Lance, but was there something that Lance wasn’t telling him? 

He hated all of these toxic thoughts. Lance never said anything either. At night, they’d cuddle, try again, and then bathe together. Lance was just all smiles and warmth. It started to bug Keith. Why was Lance being so nice?

At the very next appointment, they told the couple of the fact that Keith was finally pregnant. Keith was so happy that he started to cry. Lance held onto him so tightly that Keith felt warm tears on his back. It was so nice to know their hard work paid off. It was just time to wait and go for appointments with Adam. 

That same night, Lance started to plan out their baby shower. The thought of it scared Keith. He would be the center of attention, all swollen and uncomfortable just for everyone to see. He felt so strange thinking about it. Lance started to make other plans that worried Keith. Keith just never had the guts to say no. 

The next morning, Keith had intense nausea for some reason. Lance reminded him that it was because of the pregnancy. He forgot about that. Keiko wasn’t like that. He was happy that he knew how healthy the baby was, but he had to face the symptoms this time around. 

Keith sat in bed that night, pondering over if this was the correct decision or not. Lance was in such a happy mood and he wasn’t. He wanted to hold another small life of his own, but he didn’t want the attention he was getting. Lance had his arms around Keith’s waist again. They got messages from Lance’s family, excited over the news. They wanted to come visit, but Keith quickly shut it down. He wanted to be alone, stress-free and happy. Nothing was working. 

A month passed and they were to see Adam again. Keith came, a small smile for Adam to see. Adam didn’t look so happy, though. 

“I need you to be more careful and rid of most stress. This was already high risk when it came to conception, so now we need to worry about keeping the baby. This isn’t going to sound good, but maybe you should… not do as much hard physical labor. Your previous pregnancy was high risk. We can’t have you running around carrying heavy boxes. You might have a miscarriage.”

Keith tried his hardest to hold back tears; the only thing he was able to do without interference from others that was drastic was his job. Adam felt as if Keith was his own younger sibling, so this slightly hurt. He knew exactly what he said, but he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Keith had a miscarriage. What would Shiro tell him? He hadn’t even messaged Shiro either. Adam felt as if he didn’t have the guts to. If Shiro knew that Adam was working with Keith, Shiro might not be so happy.

“I’ll put in my letter of resignation soon. I thank you for having patience with me.”

“It’s no problem, kiddo. I wish the best for you and your family.”

Keith left without saying much.

-

After Keith left his position at his job, he decided to do things for himself. He’d go out into the garden and just sit in the back patio. He’d nap on the couch, cook, play with his kids instead of just watching over them. They’d all go to the park together. He always thought that it was selfish of him to not want to get rid of his hormones. He felt uncomfortable all the times, but he did it for his kids. He loved them to pieces, so this was just another step to happiness, no matter how bothersome it was sometimes. 

Lance noticed this small shift of his mood when he saw Keith hum while packing up leftovers. Keith didn’t look happy while packing leftovers… ever. Odd. He came behind Keith and hugged him gently, “How’s my babe and baby?”

“We’re tired, but happy. You were barely here today. What did you do?”

“I went to get you something you needed. I hope you don’t get mad.”

Keith looked puzzled, but Lance led him to the bedroom where Lance had maternity clothes laid out. Keith didn’t know what to say. 

“I tried to find some stuff you’d find comfortable. I know your pants don’t fit anymore. It’s fun to watch you try to put pants on every morning when I wake up right behind from where you change.”

Keith punched his shoulder with a glare, “Asshole. These are my biggest pants, too. You’re mean.”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry. I got you really fluffy sweaters and stretchy pants for the fall and winter. For now, I got you some shorts and these t-shirts that might fit.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Keith started to look at all the clothes Lance had bought him. He didn't want Lance to buy him anything; he had his own money. While looking at the t-shirts, he noticed something he didn't like. 

There was a dress under there. Lance panicked, “U-Uh, I thought it might help in the summer because it's super hot and you're probably even hotter.”

“It's fine.”

Lance knew it wasn't fine. He managed to fuck up again. Keith didn't go back to humming anymore. 

-

Keith hated looking in the mirror, he didn't look like Keith anymore. He looked like… his deadname, but older. The baby was growing bigger and he was showing! He was excited about that since he didn't see Keiko at all, but  _ he was showing _ . Another point for femininity. In moments like this, he thought about what he had in the masculinity department. He still had a deeper voice, he was strong, he was tall. Lance was an inch taller and Keith teased him about being able to see over mountains, but they weren't too far off. He had a larger frame compared to women. His daughters still called him daddy. That warmed his heart. He rather be called fat than motherly, but it was getting to the point where he had to tell the girls. 

He sat down in the living room, the girls were watching television with him. He looked down at his belly, it was pretty big for only being a month or two pregnant. He had thoughts of having twins, but he shook his head. That was impossible. 

“Girls.”

“Yeah?” They said in unison.

“Um, your papa and I have been trying and I'm pregnant. I'm growing a baby in my belly. You two are gonna have a sibling.”

“That's why you're getting fat,” Keiko laughed, “I knew it!”

Keith rolled his eyes, “You knew?”

“Yeah, Ms. Romelle talked about where babies came from because Jasmine asked.”

“Really?”

“Babies come from when a mommy and daddy love each very much.”

“I'm not a mommy, though.”

“I know, so I told her.”

“What… did she say?”

“That I was right.”

Keiko looked so smug, but Cecilia only laughed, “I love babies! Is it a boy or a girl?”

“I don't know. I mean,” He rubbed his stomach a little, “I can't decide on that. It's up to the baby.”

“Oh,” She looked confused, “Can I touch your belly?”

“Yeah?” Keith didn't think they'd bother to ask.

Cecilia lifted up Keith's shirt to expose his midsection. She put her small hand on one side and rubbed it, “You don't look pregnant, but I feel something.”

“That's the baby. They're not old enough to move, but they love you. I can feel it.”

Keiko made her classic face of judgement, “It's barely developed, how can it love?”

“Because I feel it. I know it can,” He smiled, grabbing Keiko's hand. He placed it on his growing belly, “Feel it?”

Keiko paused, “I feel it. That’s love?”

“Yup,” He chuckled, “It’s something else, isn’t it?”

“Did you feel me at all?”

“I had a hunch that someone was with me no matter where I went and when I had you, I knew. You love me, don’t you, Keiko?”

“I do,” She gave him a side hug, Cecilia hugging his other side. He hugged both of them so tightly, “I love all of you so much. Y’all make me so happy.”

Lance soon came home from work and opened the door to find his family all together and embracing. He dropped everything to just to hug all of them, too. He gave all of them kisses and smooches. Both parents forgot about the strain on their relationship at the moment because this was all they needed. Comfort. 

-

Another month passed and Keith was starting to grow fussy. All the symptoms he had were exaggerated and he hated it. His chest hurt all the fucking time, so he couldn’t even lightly bind anymore. He craved bullshit that he would never even feed the girls, so why should he eat this junk now? Because he wanted it. He reached his limit already. 

Every time he’d pass by the mirror while doing chores, he wanted to rip that shit off. That  _ woman _ in the mirror wasn’t him, so why was she here? He ended up punching it in a fit of anger. It was hard trying to explain to two little girls as to why he broke a perfectly good mirror. He couldn’t tell the truth, but at the same time, he couldn’t fully lie. Keiko was too smart for that and Cecilia made weird faces when she knew you were lying to her. 

Everything started to go downhill when Lance said Keith was big enough for maternity photos and that he already hired a photographer. Lance didn’t think it’d be insulting due to this being about the baby in the belly, not Keith. All Keith remembered was slapping Lance in the face and locking himself up in the bedroom. 

Now, thinking about it, he didn’t have to do that. He was hungry, so that could’ve influenced his sudden act of violence, but that wasn’t an excuse. After eating through an entire pack of oreos and orange juice, he came to a consensus that he needed to apologize and talk to Lance. This entire time had been hard for the both of them. He knew what he was doing was wrong and out of his intense dysphoria, but he didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t want to be seen, but he loved his family and would do anything for them. This wasn’t working out. 

He slowly got up and put a hand on his belly, the baby was stressed because of his actions. That wasn’t good. Opening the door, he heard the girls playing in their room instead of the living room, he assumed that Lance was downstairs in the living room, but when Keith checked, he was nowhere to be found. He threw the packaging from the oreos and juice into the recycling and trash before going out to find his husband. 

Keith went to the front of the house and nothing. Lance’s car was still there, though. He went to the back patio and didn’t see anything at all, but he heard soft muttering behind the large patch of tall sunflowers. 

Lance was sitting in the dirt, talking to Kosmo, “I know I shouldn’t have done that. I feel like I deserved it. I can never seem to make him happy, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to see me. I can’t redeem myself. I don’t know what to do. I want to care for him, I want to be there for him. I helped Lauren at the last minute and she passed away. It was too late and I worry for Keith. His last baby was so risky and I don’t want the same thing to happen again or something like that. Lauren died and I just…”

Kosmo whined, leaning up closer to Lance. 

Tears fell down his face, “I need to be more sensitive to him. I need to be more careful and apologize. I love him, I can’t take this tension anymore. He’s upset, I’m upset that I can’t do anything. I know he’s hurting, I’m hurting. I want everything to be okay. I want to touch him and the baby. Maybe having the baby was a bad idea. We were so happy and now we’re not. I feel like if I don’t say anything, it might get worse. I don’t wanna say good-bye. We just got married this year…”

He placed a hand on the top of the wolf’s head, petting gently, “Thank you for listening to me. I’m gonna talk to Keith soon. The girls told me that he doesn’t seem okay. Keep an eye out for him, okay? I know things are gonna get only harder and I need extra eyes. The girls aren’t old enough to understand.”

The dog understood everything he was saying, which was odd to the guy, but it was nice. The dog heard shuffling from the back patio door, but Lance didn’t. It was Keith, he heard everything Lance said. Well, dogs couldn’t speak, much less a wolf. 

Keith felt terrible walking up the stairs back to their room. He knew that Lance had issues with Lauren, but he forgot that Lance told him about Lauren’s troubling pregnancy. He wasn’t there and he suffered the consequences. No wonder he was upset about being pushed away. He went in the bathroom and sat against his reflection as if to punish himself for what he did. He didn’t deserve Lance, even if he was confused as to why he felt certain ways. 

He was still mad, though. That one voice in his head told him that Lance still saw him a weak woman. He compared Keith to Lauren. He was nothing like Lauren; she was actually an asshole and he just had bad dysphoria, even if he didn’t handle it well. He survived his risky pregnancy. Lance didn’t have to worry so much. It was like no one wanted Keith to have control over anything anymore. He just didn’t want to face the truth. Once he talked to Lance, he was going to share most of his responsibilities with him. He couldn’t change his body or mind at this point, he was far too gone. He loved this baby so he would stay shut about his feelings, but it didn’t feel good to bottle it up. He stood there for a few minutes before grabbing a pair of scissors from the back cabinet. 

-

Lance walked back to the door to find it ajar. Oh, Keith heard. He sighed before walking upstairs to look for Keith. They really needed to talk before something bad happened. He went into the bedroom and didn’t find Keith there. Oh gosh, how hard could this be? He just came from downstairs and didn’t see him there either. He suddenly heard loud, ugly crying from the bathroom. He had never, ever heard anything like that before. He ran up to the bathroom door and opened it to find Keith, his face tear-stained and hair everywhere. 

Before the girls could hear, Lance quickly shut the door, leaving them alone. Lance stood there, trying to process what his husband did. Hair covered the floor, the sink, and the bathtub. Keith cut the majority of his hair off. 

Lance saw his husband shake while sitting on the toilet seat cover. The scissors still in his hand. Keith couldn't stop crying. Lance ripped the scissors from his hand and scooped him up in a tight hug, “It'll be okay. Breathe. Breathe. In and out.”

After a few minutes, Keith was able to talk. Lance didn't let go of him at all. 

“I don't have control of anything anymore. I can't control my symptoms, my body, or anything. I feel like I'm trapped. I just want to be able to do what I want. The last thing I'm able to control is my hair. It's always been the same, so I cut it off. I know guys can have long hair, but I just can't take it. I don't like seeing  _ her  _ in the mirror. I want to see Keith.”

“You are Keith no matter what. Whether you have long hair or not. I can't stand to see you like this. Please can we talk? Look, I'll try my hardest to fix your uneven hair while we talk here, okay?”

“Okay,” He nodded, looking up at him so sadly.

That look broke Lance's heart, Keith was suffering and he couldn't help. 

Keith sat up straight on the toilet seat cover and Lance started to snip away the uneven parts, “So, I'll start first. I'm sorry for being so insensitive to you. You don't deserve me for my actions. I apologize for not being a better husband to support you even when you don't want it. I cancelled the photographer, but I didn't cancel the baby shower because I don't know if we have enough money to buy diapers and stuff. You had to stop working for obvious reasons, but it'll be okay. I want to help you because I didn't help Lauren. She died and I felt as if… it was all my fault as to why she died. Cecilia was born, but she didn't recognize me when I held her. We didn't have a bond and she was scared and alone. I don't want the same thing to happen again. All that caused my depression. If it ever happens again, I don't think I'd be able to live. I wanna be there for you and the baby. Please let me.”

“I assumed you felt that way, but I wasn't sure. My dysphoria is so bad. I can't look into a mirror without panicking. That isn't me. I don't see myself. I see…  _ her _ . She doesn't look happy, she doesn't wanna be here. I just want to be with the baby, without seeing her. I don't mean to hurt you, but you being insensitive made me believe that you saw me as that woman. You act as if I was Lauren and that I'd die during labor. It hurts, there's no trust. I'm doing my best to care for the baby even if my symptoms aren't that great. I can do it without a man helping me. My masculinity is thrown out the window, I have no power. I'm just a vessel and my baby isn't even happy.”

“I see you as Keith, but listen. I need you to understand that I just want to help you when things get bad. I love you. There is no trust, you don't trust me to help at all because I'm a man. You're struggling and I see you're not happy and I want to help, but pushing me away isn't gonna help. If this baby is too much for you, I don't know if it's too late to get an abortion. Keith, you're anxious and depressed. The baby is stressed. It could still be an option.”

“I won't get rid of this baby just because I'm stressed. I just don't want attention and help. I'm independent and fine. Stop assuming everything, okay? It's getting annoying.”

“You have to let your guard down in order for me to help you and you're scared because you don't want me to see you as female. I don't, though. I never will. I would even kill someone for you. Please, Keith.”

After a few minutes of silence with scissors snipping away, Keith spoke up, “Okay.”

“Our first step is understanding what you consider masculine.”

“Big, buff, dominating over others. Strong arms to carry a family. Kind, loving, and caring.”

“What's this about long hair, face masks, and different soaps?”

“I don't know, I guess it's just what the media has thrown at us and it's what I automatically assumed what and what wasn't masculine.”

“I shave down there, I wear face masks, I use different soaps. Sometimes I might paint my nails if I feel like it. Makeup is a no-no. It's too itchy. Anyway, I like dresses and skirts. It's a great breeze. Did I mention that I like crop tops? I'm too old for that, but I love all of those things.”

“Yeah?”

“Does that make me any less of a man? Is my masculinity thrown out the window?”

“But you still look like a man.”

“Keith, I'm gonna be straightforward with this. You look like a man with a beer belly. You wear baggy clothes, but your gut sticks out, so that's why you're getting weird looks. People don't like the idea of a heavy drinker being a father to two little girls. Your hips don't stick out because you don't carry much fat anyway, so your boobs don't either. I'm not lying at all. With T, you were buffer, yeah. Without T, your body started to change, but without much fat, there's almost no change… Your pregnancy caused you to gain weight, but you're still very active, so like, you're a soft Keith. Buff Keith is great, but soft Keith is even better. I mean, your butt looks great.”

Keith still had tears in his eyes, but he laughed. He never actually thought about that before. He pinched his side, but there wasn't much to pinch. Lance was right, but was that really how people saw him? He sighed, “Are you lying just to make me feel better?”

“No, surprisingly. Dude, you've been on T for so long that your body ended up with permanent changes. Your voice is one. Okay, so when we went to the gas station with the girls, the cashier told me something. You were with the girls and getting water and tea and he told me, 'Look at that guy, I'm surprised he didn't grab beer on the way home. I feel bad for those girls.’ I mean, that comment was uncalled for and that's why I made faces all the way home, but Keith, you're still society's version of masculine. Growing a baby and giving birth is the strongest thing a person can do. Not all men can do that, but you can. Look how strong you are. It's hard and you'll need help, but it's okay. Not everyone is privileged enough to bare a child. It doesn't have to be a feminine thing. Look at all the other men out there giving birth to their own children. That doesn't make them any less of a man or father. It doesn't make you any less of a man either. You told me this, too. Listen to your words. We love you, Keith.”

Keith turned around and hugged him so tightly, “I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let it overcome me. Thank you. That helps a lot. I love you so much. I'm probably scaring the girls, aren't I?”

“A little, but we'll find a way to explain it to them. For now, let's just relax. I'm proud of you, Keith. I always will be.”

-

That night, Lance decided it was time to finally implement his self care plan for his entire family. Everyone sat in the living room as Lance got stuff from the bathroom. He pulled out face masks, cucumbers and something extra for Keith. 

The girls tied their hair back and got to work putting the stuff on each others faces. They giggled and ate some of the cucumber, but they had fun. Lance did the same thing to Keith, “You know. People like men with clear faces.”

“I know I do,” Keith snickered. Lance shook his head, “See? It's not just a masculine thing.” 

He gave Keith two slices of cucumber to put on his eyes, “Listen, close your eyes and relax. Think of the sunset you see every time you water the sunflowers. It's beautiful because we live on a hill, but just in general.”

Keith did just that, but then panicked when Lance lifted up his shirt. Lance worked quickly, before Keith could stop him. 

“Okay, so I put a different kind of mask on your belly. I got this from Amazon. It's a belly mask and it reduces the appearance of stretch marks and relieves itching. Is it actually itchy, though?”

“A little, but I heard it gets worse later on,” Keith sighed, “I'm just gonna enjoy this time while it lasts. Oh, it's cool.”

“I think it has aloe vera,” Lance shrugged, “It's been a while since I've touched your belly and I felt them.”

“Did you?”

“Yeah. That's really nice.”

“You know what? Let me see your tummy,” Keith put his cucumber slices on top of his own belly before grabbing Lance and lifting up his shirt rudely just like everyone else did to him.

Lance panicked, trying to pull away, but Keith was still as strong as an ox, “Noooooo-”

“You're getting soft,” Keith chuckled, “It isn't just me.”

“It's just newlywed weight.”

“We got married months ago.”

“Shut it. Put your cucumbers back on.”

Keith laughed, actually happy for the first time in a while. Lance blushed, seeing how beautiful Keith really was laughing. Maybe this won't be so bad after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if i portrayed dysphoria correctly. i get it a lot with dysmorphia, so.... yeah- im okay, though. i guess???  
> if i wrote something to offend anyone, i'll take it down and rewrite it or just delete the entire fic. 
> 
> i get the feeling i shouldn't have even written this ending, but it's better than what we originally planned.  
> keith actually got a terrible miscarriage and barely survived, but that's too emo so no
> 
> keith doesn't feel good for multiple reasons: his hormones are out of whack and his dysphoria makes it worse.  
> he craves oreos dunked in orange juice  
> someone stop him
> 
> klance is just trying their hardest to not show the girls their problems bc they don't deserve to see them suffer. they worry so much bc their relationship was strained a little at the end. 
> 
> adam!!! he's in here!!! he will interact with shiro for sure!!!
> 
> the next chapter will get more into detail but it's also the very last chapter!!!!! 
> 
> look for symbolism, y'all!!! there's a lot. 
> 
> i also wanted lance to be realistic to keith about his appearance because im pretty sure keith's mind fucked up his perception in one way or another. 
> 
>  
> 
> i hated s8 btw, allura literally fucked lance over and gave him an altean std. keith is such a good friend, platonic or not. it must be hard for him tbh, being friendly and caring to others- knowing what to say to someone who's hurting. allura deserved better all the way from s1. :/ lance deserved the entire universe and more.


	17. Perfectly Perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the second semester of this year kicked my ass. It was busy work, but on overdrive. I am so fucking tired. I was so busy that I didn't get to work on the fic at all. I've been, like, writing a sentence or two at a time. This is rushed and kinda messy. My now, ex, never bothered to follow thru with their word of beta reading so... I read over it while half asleep rn. :) they claim that i never text them, but haha they never fucking text back- they frustrated me a lot. i would've posted this earlier if they bothered.

Lance met up with his friends again at Hunk's place, but he didn't bring Keith or the girls along. Keith was tired and the girls didn't like waiting for something fun to happen, so he left alone. He was excited to see them, but he needed to break the news to them about Keith's pregnancy. It wasn't necessarily easy since it’d be the invitation to the baby shower.

Allura was sipping on some kind of French wine, sitting next to Romelle, who was eating bread from the bread basket. They had been dating for some time now, but their love was strong. It kind of made Lance envious, but he didn't know why. He was happy with Keith, but it probably had to do with the fact that him and Allura dated for a week during their university years. Go figure. 

Allura started the conversation this time, “So what have you guys been up to? It's been a month or so since the last time we came up together. It's not all of us, but it's close.”

Pidge sighed, “Same old, same old. I'll probably die alone at this point.”

“You won't, you just don't like being open and that's okay,” Lance commented, “I thought I was gonna die alone and leave my kiddo behind and look at me now. I'm a father of two beautiful girls and my husband loves me.”

“One of these days, a random child coming from just passionate love will appear at your doorstep. It'll be mushy just like the two of you.”

“Rude,” Lance huffed, “ _ That's _ why you're alone. Anyway, so like on that note, Keith and I have been thinking and trying really hard, but… He's pregnant with my child again! I'm so happy and he can't wait for the baby to come out so we could cuddle the fuck outta them.”

“How many months along is he?” Shay asked.

Lance made a face, trying to remember, “He’s around three to four months already, but he’s huge. I’m pretty sure it’s water weight, though. He’s been eating  _ a lot _ of sugar and that makes a person puffy.”

Shay interrupted him, “I don’t mean to be rude, but Keith is probably only going to get worse. Are you prepared for that? You once told all of us that Lauren was having hard time, but you never bothered. Now, are you ready to take up the responsibilities that he leaves and taking care of him? I knew Hunk had to work in the afternoon and early evening, but as soon as I had our son, he took care of both of us no matter what. He’d watch our son at night and I was able to sleep. He made that sacrifice for all of us and it was out of love. I can’t imagine how hard it must be on all of you right now. This is Keith’s first, hormonal, showing pregnancy. He probably doesn’t know what’s going on. Poor thing must be scared.”

He didn’t think about it that way. He knew it was gonna be hard, but he thought it’d be watching over the girls and giving Keith space; however, Keith obviously wasn’t doing okay now. How bad would it get later on? It was only one child, but why was it so hard? He sighed, “I’ll figure it out and talk to him. His appointment is for tomorrow anyway. He hasn’t been okay these past few months. His OB-GYN says he’s okay, but he’s scared and his emotions get in the way sometimes. His dysphoria is really bad, but it’s never been this bad before. I don’t know what he’s going through, but I can only try to help.”

“Lance,” Allura spoke up, “You have your heart in the right place. I’m sure he appreciates it in one way or the other. Are you two planning a baby shower, at least?”

“Yeah!” Lance lit up, “It’ll be soon, but I’ll text you guys on the group chat for the real date. You guys don’t have to bring anything fancy. We plan on reusing some of our daughters’ old stuff. Diaper changing tables and stuff like that. I have a feeling Keith gets lonely, so I think he’d be happy to see you guys.”

Hunk brought a salad over to the table and waved to Lance; he didn’t have a chance to greet him at the door, “It’s been a while.”

“It’s has, buddy,” Lance smiled, “We’re pregnant and having a baby shower soon. You’re invited!”

“Oh, that’s great. I’ll go visit Keith sometime in between.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I insist.”

“Alright, man.”

“Anyway, I brought out this spring mix salad with an apple balsamic vinaigrette with Parmigiano Reggiano shaved on top with sweet strawberries and blueberries. It’s nothing much. I made some ‘fancy’ mac and cheese for all of us after. Take some home to Keith, okay?”

Lance nodded, “That sounds delicious. You’re the best!”

As everyone ate, Lance kept thinking of everything he had to do. It wasn’t all on him anymore like with Cecilia. He had to care for Keith, Cecilia and Keiko and then the new baby. Keith would probably be super tired after childbirth, and if he had a c-section, he’d be in bed for a long time. Lance knew that Keith did not like being stuck in one place for a long time, so he knew this was going to hard on all of them. How did busy parents with a bunch of kids do it? He wish he knew.

-

Keith waited for Lance in the living room, he was wrapped up in blankets and soft sweaters. Fall was here and the girls were home, eating the dinner Keith made for them. It wasn’t anything fancy beside a split-pea soup with potato and carrots on the side. He was going to make the quick miso soup Shiro’s mother showed him how to make as a teen, but he didn’t have any miso. He ate multiple servings before the girls ate, but he didn’t really feel full. It was a terrible gnawing feeling that he hated. While sitting in his multitude of blankets, he groaned. He already finished a packet of oreos and a gallon of orange juice, so he didn’t allow himself anymore snacks, but he was hungry. 

When the door opened and Lance showed up with a big tub of mac and cheese, Keith snatched it and started eating it, despite his lactose intolerance. Lance, after all these months wasn’t surprised, but the happiness on his lover’s face was so worth it. Who knew that chipmunk cheeks filled with cheese would make his day? The girls ran up to him for hugs and kisses, they too, were happy to see him. It didn’t occur to him, until now, how important he was for them. 

Before it got too late, Keith handed Lance multiple packets of bluebonnets seeds, “I can’t bend down anymore, but it’s the season to plant the seeds and Cecilia really wanted to plant them, so I was wondering if you could help me.”

Lance nodded automatically, “Of course. Anything for you guys.”

“Bluebonnets are a little harder to grow than sunflowers, so you need to listen up, but I’ll tell you when we head outside with the girls. Go upstairs and call them down. It’s getting hard to go up…” Keith’s face redden a bit. He gave a big ass smorch to Lance before turning him around to face the staircase.

His tall, lanky husband didn’t have a choice, so he went up and knocked on the girls’ shared bedroom door, “Hey girls, you wanna grow some bluebonnets with us? Daddy can’t bend over anymore, so I’ll be helping you guys. He’ll be there, don’t worry. I don’t know how to grow these things.”

The girls were in the middle of dressing Kosmo up, but they dropped it and ran passed Lance without actually saying yes or no. He shook his head and laughed with the wolfdog, “Those precious girls, am I right?”

The dog just whined before trying his hardest to remove the bonnet the girls tied on. Lance just went on his way to the backyard garden. Keith was waiting, sitting in the back patio space, “Took you long enough. The girls are admiring the last of the sunflowers. Every time a batch just grew too old and died, I just collected all the seeds to clean off and plant again, but it’s too cold. If I plant, they’ll barely grow. It’s totally bluebonnet season. It’s cool enough.”

The girls were taking down the dry, sagging flowers. They were beautiful, but it was finally time to say goodbye. Keith slowly got up and made his way to the beautiful plot. He smiled, “Lance. Grab a hoe, you’re gonna do the heavy work.”

Lance whined, “Do I gotta?”

“Does it look like I’d be able to move all of these flowers out of here? I don’t think so. Just get the roots of the sunflowers out of the dirt. The girls are going to pick them up and hand the flowers to me on the patio. I’m gonna remove as many seeds as I can and save them for next year. After that, we’ll fix the dirt up a little and start planting the bluebonnets, okay?”

“Okay, but you’re paying me for this. This is unnecessary hard labor and this wooden hoe will ruin my soft, impeccably delicate hands.”

“Oh, I’ll pay you back later,” He winked, “For now, do this for the girls. They want this.”

Lance groaned, getting the hoe and getting to work. Keith went to sit in the patio as he dumped all the seeds into one large bucket; he planned on drying them later. The girls were running back and forth before Lance got tired, “I don’t wanna do this anymore. I’m tired.”

Keith got up and took the hoe from Lance, “You are so lazy. Did I marry a baby?”

“Keith, no, I’ll do it. Please sit down.”

“Shut it. You take a long time anyway,” Keith started to uproot the dead sunflowers at a faster rate. Lance was impressed, but that was his pregnant husband. That’s not good. He took the hoe from Keith forcefully before trying to mimic Keith’s rate.

Keith just shook his head and went back to his unseeding station. After the entire plot was empty and Keith finished removing all of the seeds, Lance took out the bluebonnet seeds. The girls looked at the seeds with curiosity, but waited until Keith got over to explain bluebonnets. As soon as Keith finally made it, he had a smile on his face, “Bluebonnets are beautiful and I hope it isn’t too cold for them to bloom. Alright. So you have to make sure that the ground isn’t actually full of nutrients.”

“So the sunflowers ate it up, right?” Keiko looked at the ground, staring at the dirt.

He nodded, “Good eye, Keiko. So, I did some research and I had to stick the seeds in the freezer and pour boiling water on them. I added a bacteria to them, so now they’re ready to be planted.”

“Why?” Cecilia didn’t look keen on the idea of boiling seeds, “Wouldn’t that kill the seed?”

“Nope, it just help to open up the seed because it has this thick layer thing. It helps to germinate the seeds a little faster and safer, too.” He chuckled, “Go ahead. Just throw the seeds anywhere you want. Make sure Kosmo’s inside or he’ll eat the seeds. It’s not a good idea if he does.”

Lance got the door as the girls ran off to corners of the plot. They seemed to be having fun. To Keith, that was all that mattered… besides that macaroni and cheese.

-

Keith waited in the bedroom for Lance. He was going to surprise him with what he bought. Going into the bottom side drawer, he pulled out a strap-on and some lube. He had been wanting one of these for such a long time and he finally had the chance to use it. Of course, he was excited. Lance started to open the door, coming from the kitchen since he had to wash his boots. 

“Oh, I see what you meant by that earlier,” Lance chuckled, “I don't know if you can even use that. You usually take it from behind.”

Keith rolled his eyes before roughly pushing Lance to the wall, “Are you saying I can't do this? I didn't have a strap on, so all I was able to do was get fucked. I didn't have any toys either, otherwise I would've used them on you. Messing with you without toys is so much different than fucking you.”

Lance burned, his fantasy was finally going to come true after all this time. Keith had him pinned and oh, that was hot. Keith got closer to kiss him, but his belly prevented him from getting closer somewhat. Lance couldn't help, but laugh. It earned him a punch to the gut. Keith huffed, “Do you wanna get fucked or not?”

“I do!!! I do!!!” Lance folded over in pain, just because his husband was pregnant didn't mean that he was weak. Without another minute to waste, Keith threw him on the bed and immediately got to work. 

That was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

-

The next morning, Keith was preparing for his appointment with Adam. Adam said he  _ might _ be able to tell the sex of the child, but he wasn't sure. He wanted to see Keith for other matters actually, besides the check-up, of course.

Lance changed into something more comfortable and helped Keith find something nice to wear from all the maternity clothes he bought. It was hard to find nice sweaters in large sizes for Keith to wear from the men's section, so it had to be from the maternity section. They had thick, plain colored sweaters, so he ended up with a bunch of those and stretchy pants galore. Keith didn't fit into any of his pants and buying men's pants that fit only his waist resulted in baggy legs, so Lance didn't even bother. Keith, on the other hand, didn't like the word “maternity” plastered all over the clothes he wore. 

Lanced handed him a clean sweater and some black pants, “This would look nice and it fits your gay, emo dad style.”

“You're an ass,” Keith started to put on his clothes and paused. His shirt didn't cover all of his tummy. He didn't think that he'd outgrow the shirt, but he did. He panicked, “Um… Lance…”

Lance turned away from the closet and faced Keith. He snickered, “It's okay. Let's switch these pants out for pants that have a belly band. It'll keep you covered, okay?”

He pulled out another pair of black pants and handed them to Keith. Keith took his pants off and gave them to Lance, but Lance only bothered to stare at Keith's hips. They were marked from the strap-on. Hot. 

His husband smiled over the fact that his belly was covered by the pants, shirt and then oversized sweater. Lance found it adorable, “Let me help you with your shoes and we can go on our way, okay?”

He nodded, sitting down on the bed, “I feel like a whale giving birth to a baby whale. This baby is big, but I feel like, there's something else.”

Lance was already kneeling, putting some slip-on shoes on his beloved, but he couldn't fathom another scary pregnancy, “It's just anxiety. Don't worry about it. We're gonna see Adam today. He's gonna do another ultrasound and blood test. It's okay. Don't worry.”

Keith sighed, getting up, “You're rambling again. You looked more stressed than me. C'mon.”

As they walked out into the hall, the girls were already dressed and ready to head out, too. Adam actually wanted to see the girls and meet Lance, so he invited them into Keith's check-up. 

The clinic wasn't as lonely as before. There were other people waiting to be seen. It looked like Adam was pretty popular now. Keith chuckled, Shiro would be slightly envious at this point. 

As soon as the family was called, Keith internally panicked. What if Lance was wrong and he was right? It couldn't just be the baby in there. It felt weird, but he's never had a normal pregnancy, he didn't know.

Adam gave Keith a side hug and shook Lance's hand, “It's so nice to see all of you.”

He bent down to see the girls, “They're beautiful. Wow. I feel like I'm seeing a family of models. Anyway, Keith, sit, and we'll get the ultrasound machine in.

Keith listened to Adam and sighed, “I'm worried.”

“About what?” Adam was curious.

“I don't feel like… there's just a baby in there. Something else is in there. It's big, too.”

Adam didn't like the idea of that. As soon as the nurse brought over a sterile machine, he started to check for things. Keith seemed okay, the baby was right there. Huh. Odd. He looked at Keith, “I don't really see anything wrong, but what concerns me is that you're very large and your hCG levels are high. It could mean a lot of things.”

“Like what?” Lance was getting very concerned, “He doesn't have cancer does he?”

The girls got scared; Cecilia cried out, “I don't want Daddy to die.”

“Maybe it was bad idea to bring the girls in. It's an option, but I didn't see anything bad on the monitor,” Adam looked down at the girls, “Don't worry about Daddy. If there is anything wrong with him, we'll take very good care of him. He means a lot to me. I saw him all the time when he was a teen. Him and Shiro went everywhere together and since I was dating Shiro, sometimes Keith would go. If I were visiting Shiro and his family, Keith would be there playing video games or studying. He's like my little brother. Nothing will ever happen to him under my watch, okay?”

The girls nodded, surprised by how this man knew Keith and Shiro. Keiko made a face, “You dated Uncle Shiro?”

“Um, yeah. I did.”

“Does he know you're here? Shiro said that he lived in Texas.”

“She's too smart. Well, he still doesn't, but I'll tell him soon.”

Lance snickered, “We're having a baby shower and you're invited. You might…  _ see him. _ ”

“That's  _ nice _ , when you get the finalized date, let me know. I haven't been invited to a baby shower for years. People find it too awkward. I also don’t think Shiro will mind, but I don’t know....”

“You're like my older brother, why  _ wouldn't _ I invite you?” Keith smiled, “So, Adam, um. What other possibilities are there?”

“It could still be a single pregnancy, but also maybe twins. How have your symptoms been? Are they hard to get through?”

“I had nausea really bad in the first trimester. Infact, sometimes I get it now.”

Lance sighed, “It seemed worse than Lauren's, but at the same time I don't know if it's just Keith thing.”

“I haven't experienced this before, I have nothing to compare it to besides a stomach flu,” He groaned, “I didn't know it'd suck so much.”

“That'll happen. Do you have lower back pain already? Your hips?” Adam turned the ultrasound machine on again.

“It hurts really bad sometimes and my hips feel a lot of weight. I have a feeling it'll get worse.”

“Okay, Keith. Turn slightly on your side. I'm going to check for something. I checked from the front, but now I want to check from the side and maybe back. If you have a single pregnancy, then it'd be a little alarming.”

“Alright,” Keith picked himself up and turned, “Like this?”

“Perfect,” Adam put some more of that cold jelly stuff and tried to find an answer, “Your blood test from last time showed that your blood sugar and insulin levels were high. What have you been eating?”

Lance answered for him, “An entire package of oreos and a gallon of orange juice a day.”

“Keith. C'mon. Can't you eat oranges and snack on something else? You're already at risk and now you want to get diabetes.”

“I can't help it.”

“Yes, you can.”

Keith pouted, secretly craving the oreos at that moment. 

Adam paused, staring at the screen, “Just what I expected. You’re having twins, Keith.”

Lance started to cry, making Keith worry. He put his hands on his belly, “Oh man. This'll be hard. Where did you see the other baby?”

Adam pointed to Keiko, “Your offspring tend to hide in your uterus, don't they?” 

She giggled, “The other baby is like me?”

“Kinda, yeah.”

Cecilia smiled, “More people to play with?”

“Hopefully so!”

“Yes!” Cecilia had a big smile on her face. 

Adam turned to Keith, “I can't tell the sex of the babies, but I have a feeling that doesn't really matter.”

Keith smiled, “Sex doesn't matter, they'll figure out who they are. I'm not doing a gender reveal thing because they aren't old enough to understand what it is. I'm not going to assign a gender to them just because of their parts. I hate when people think gender and sex are the same thing. It's annoying!”

“I get a lot of… y'know… crazy people coming in here begging for the gender of their babies. They make such elaborate reveals that no one cares about,” Adam sighed, “Oh well.”

Cecilia pulled on Adam's pants, “When are they coming out?”

“I don't know,” Adam bit his lip and turned to Keith again, “I'm worried. You're already at risk and now you're more at risk with twins. At this point, they might come out in January or February. I'm thinking they might come out early January because I don't know if you can carry ten to twenty pounds of baby on your hips.”

At this point, Lance left the room to call someone. Keith didn't like that he just walked out. The girls stared. Adam sighed again,“Don't worry about him. He's just worried and stressed. For now, take it easy. Exercise will only be walking until you just can't anymore. It'll be painful, but you're strong. After this, you'll go get some more blood drawn and maybe eat. I know you're hungry. Give your husband some time to process this. I thought those were tears of joy, but they seem to be something else. Also, stop eating so much sugar. Try popcorn with a bit of cinnamon on top if your hungry. If you do crash and end up eating an entire bag of oreos, don’t drink the juice. An orange is just fine. There’s not any healthy stuff in that processed juice, you know.”

“I can’t help it,” Keith whined, “I’ll go right now and then we’ll probably go out to eat. Lance is worrying me… He’s usually happy over this kind of stuff.”

Cecilia went up to Keith to give him a side hug since he was sitting up, “Papa’s scared. He’d be like this with me and call Abuela.”

“His mother?” Keith was a bit surprised, yet not, “Okay, well, let’s get going. He probably wants to call her in a better place.”

Keith got up with the help of Adam and went out to find Lance all the way outside the office. Yikes. He sighed, taking the girls outside. Lance hung up the phone and went to Keith. He didn’t look that great. Cecilia pulled on Lance’s pants and he picked her up for a hug. He didn’t say much. 

Keith looked down, “I’m gonna get another blood test and then we can go, okay?”

“Alright. Go. I’ll wait out here,” Lance seemed irritated. Keith took Keiko with him, he wasn’t sure what Lance would do. 

-

After the blood test, Lance drove them home, went into his study and locked the door. Keith was getting really worried now. He knocked on the door softly, “Hey, Lance. Are you… okay?”

He heard shuffling on the other side and the door opened. He pulled Keith inside before locking the door again, “Mom’s coming back to help us out. I just… I’m so stressed that I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“It’s gonna be okay. We’re both here doing this.”

“No, it isn’t. You’re going to be out of commission for a long time and everything will be on me. I’m so nervous. The girls depend so much on both of us and then suddenly you can’t provide and then all the responsibility is on me. I have to take care of them, these two new kiddos, and then you. It gets bad and I just… I don’t know if I can do it. It’s a lot of kids and only one of me. Not to mention, I’m the only one working.”

“I’ll take care of these two,” Keith smiled, rubbing his belly, “You don’t have to worry about them. The girls are very kind and sweet. They aren’t going to hinder you. When has either of them stopped you from working? They love you so much, Lance. We all do. I’ll do my best. I did okay last time. I was able to stand the next day… slowly, but surely. I even took a shower. It’ll be okay.”

“Adam said you’re at risk and I assume it’s  _ wayyyy _ worse with having twins. Are you sure that you’re going to be okay?”

“...I mean… I’m doing my best. I’m not going to die. It won’t be like Lauren. I promise. If it is… I trust you with everything. I know you can do this. Think of the girls as twins and then these two. The girls have similar needs. These two will have their own needs. I’m with you the entire time. I’m going to need your help in, like, two months. I can’t do this alone, but I won’t leave you to do everything alone.”

“I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” Keith gave him another big smorch, “I thought we were going out to eat after and we didn’t… I’m starving. Please  _ help _ me make something.”

“Anything for you guys,” Lance carefully led him downstairs and they got to cooking.

-

Later that night, they got into bed together and Lance watched as Keith slowly fell asleep by the sound of the television. He got super close, knowing Keith  _ probably _ wouldn’t wake up. He was sitting up, thinking of everything to come. He was going to hold two little babies in his arms in a few more months. That meant a lot of things. They had an extra room on the second floor that was empty, so he planned on using that for the nursery, but Keith wanted the babies to sleep in the same room. Lance thought it might help with calming them down, so he agreed to it. They currently fixed up Cecilia’s old crib and set it up in the corner of the room. If they were having twins, they needed to have another crib. Buying another crib would be stupid and because of that, later on, Lance needed to ask if Keith still had Keiko’s crib. 

Moving on from that thought, he turned to Keith who was sleeping on his back, which he thought pregnant people didn’t do, but he had pillows everywhere. He smiled, his soft Keith, all warm under blankets. Lance was still getting used to Keith’s short hair, but it suited him. It wasn’t too short, but enough to be considered a mullet. Keith used to have such long, beautiful hair. It was always tied back, but with his bangs in his face. Now, it was simple, but it still felt like  _ Keith _ . 

Lance gently brushed his hair. It was so soft and thick. He couldn’t believe it really. His eyes went down to Keith’s protruding belly. Two little babies were in there, thriving. He put a hand on his stomach, rubbing it soothingly, hoping to not wake Keith up. He started to hum a little, his smile as big as the moon. 

He started to sing soft, lovely things in Spanish. Lance went on about how much he loved them even if it was going to be so hard. Nothing in this world could make him stop from loving them. He was going to need help, but that’s okay. Keith was right, everything  _ was _ going to be okay. 

“You guys are so amazing. You’ve already made us so happy, even if we’re worried. Thank you for being with us every step of the way. We adore you two. I’m so happy to have you two in the world. Your dad loves you so much, he’s enduring so much to be with you. I’m your papa and I’m doing my best to help him out.” 

Lance continued to hum along, thinking of the future, the true, wonderful future. They might even go to Cuba as a family one day. He was able to create a family he never thought that he would have after Lauren.

“Lance, what are you doing?” Keith was awake, but barely, “You singing the babies asleep or something?”

Lance was a bit surprised, “Yeah. I wanted to bond a little with them. Cecilia and I didn’t bond until she was born, so… I want to make the right choices now.”

“If you wanna make a choice, get me an orange,” Keith laughed, “They fell asleep to you, but then they got hungry.”

“I should’ve know, c’mon,” He huffed, “Want it peeled or cut?”

“Peeled, it’ll be easier to eat. I’m gonna go to the bathroom really quick while you do that.”

“Let me help you up,” Lance gave Keith a big ass smooch before grabbing his hands to help him up.

His husband got up with a slight stumble, but he was okay. He went away into the depths of the bathroom before Lance went downstairs. 

When they both made it back to the bedroom, Lance snuggled up against Keith, who was sitting up, “I love the babies so much.”

“They love you back enough to lay on my spine and hips. It hurts,” Keith finished his orange within a minute or two, “Let’s sleep. I’m so tired.”

“Okay,” Lance helped Keith back onto pillows and moved even closer to him, “You’re warm and smell good.”

“I smell like sweat and oranges.”

“Perfect.”

Keith gave him a quick peck on the lips before closing his eyes. Lance kissed his cheek and sighed, he wanted moments like these to last forever. 

-

Lance went to the work that morning and took the girls to school. Keith was alone. He wasn't thrilled with the thought.

He ate breakfast alone. He made lunch alone. He cleaned alone. He sat in the back patio alone. Kosmo was with him, but still… he didn't know what to do. 

Kosmo sat next to him, watching over the garden when the doorbell rang. Kosmo jumped up and ran to the front. Soon the barking stopped, so Keith assumed it was someone they knew. 

Getting there was a challenge. Out the chair? Hard. Walking? Killed the hips. Finally reaching the door, he had to look through the hole on their door and he couldn't exactly do that. His belly was in the way. Frustrated, he ripped the door open. It was Hunk.

The big man smiled, “Keith! It's so nice to see you again.”

“It's nice to see you, too. I  _ loved _ the mac and cheese. It was so tasty. Please, come in,” Keith led him to the sofa, “What brings you?”

“I just wanted to talk to you about something really important to Lance and I,” Hunk suddenly felt uncomfortable, “I'm happy that you're being honest with him about important things. I see that you’re a loving, hardworking man. I hope what happened in the past with my small threats didn't deter you.”

“No, please. Don't worry about it. What I did was unacceptable and now I know that I shouldn't wait on these things. You had to do it for the sake of Lance. I understand.”

“Let's get into the meat of it all. If you or the baby don't make it, then I want you to know that my family and I are here for you guys. One family to another, we have each other's back.”

Keith couldn't believe what he was hearing; he had never gotten this much support before, “I don't know what to say…”

“It's okay. If something happens to you and Lance can't provide or something, I'm here for that. If the baby dies, we're here for emotional support. Shay and I weren't open at all about this, but understanding certain things about you, we feel like we can trust you with this. Before our son was born, Shay had a miscarriage which is why I went out of my way a lot to care for her when it was called for. I missed a lot of work and closed early. I lost money, but she's important to me. I love her so much that I couldn't take it sometimes. Lance is my best friend, so I'm here for him and his beautiful family.”

“Knowing that I have someone with me means so much. Growing up, I just had my pop until he passed away and it's hard to know how much people care when usually no one does. Having twins and being at risk scares me so much. If this risky pregnancy stays risky or maybe a death occurs, I'm glad to know that you'll always be here.”

“You're having twins?”

“Yeah! We just found out yesterday.”

“Congratulations! When's the due date?”

“Our doctor doesn't know, he thinks some time in early January.”

“That's not far from now. You must be nervous.”

“I am, but it'll be okay. Both of us have experience with a newborn and Lance isn't depressed as he was anymore. We also have all of our amazing friends with us every step of the way. If you and your family need help from us at all, we're also here for you.”

“Thank you, Keith. It's good to know that both of you are doing somewhat okay. Love the haircut. It's a nice change.”

“Really? Thanks,” Keith couldn't tell him about his breakdown.

“Yeah, it seems like something you would get. Do you guys have a nursery set up yet?”

“Kind of? We prepared for one baby and used all of Cecilia's old stuff since it was just in the attic. Lance, this morning, told me that we needed to get Keiko's stuff and he wanted to go after work. It's Shiro's day off and her stuff is in his basement. No worries.”

“I wish you guys the best of luck. I can't wait to see my nieces or nephews.”

“They're excited to meet their uncle.”

“Keith, I forgot to tell you. I made you something.”

“Hunk, you didn't have to.”

The large man went back to his car and brought in a tray of just macaroni and cheese, “Lance texted me about it and I knew that you probably wanted more. I heard that with any pregnancy that you'd probably be more hungry.”

“Thank you so much. What can I do to repay you?”

“You don't have to do a thing. If you want, just ask Lance to return the dish. Your family expanding out of your accord shows how much you love and care about Lance and your girls. It's my way of apologizing and wishing you guys the best of luck.”

Keith set the dish on the table and hugged Hunk the best way he could, “I usually don't like giving hugs out, but you deserve it.”

“Keith, buddy, don't worry about it. Just worry about these little guys.”

“These kids are making me emotional. I've been lonely all day, sorry,” Keith let go, “I'm probably holding you back. Sorry, I'll show you to the door.”

“No, dude. It's okay. I don't work until dinner service today.”

“Can I show you something then, before you leave? Don't worry it's not weird. The girls worked hard all summer for this. They wanted to show you, but they never had the chance.”

“Yeah, of course.”

Keith led Hunk into the backyard, showing him the plot, “The girls are planting bluebonnets now. Over the summer, they grew the sunflower seeds that you gave Cecilia for her birthday.”

“That's wonderful!” Hunk was certainly impressed, “Did Lance clear the back of this place? It was a mess before.”

“I did,” Keith chuckled, “The girls ended up replanting with the same seeds over and over. They ended up with bunches of seeds. Look.”

Keith pointed to a huge mat that was covered with thousands of seeds drying out in the sun, “We plan on regrowing them next summer. They loved the sunflowers so much. We even took photos!”

“Wow. You guys did all of that?” Hunk was completely shook, “I didn't think sunflowers could be grown here.”

Keith pulled out his cellphone and showed Hunk pictures of sunflowers that reached up all the way to Lance's face, “I guess the seeds loved the girls to bits in order to grow so tall.”

“Tell the girls I'm so proud of them, okay? I'm proud of you, too. You cleared this mess of a yard??? Maybe you guys can grow me some vegetables next year. You certainly have a green thumb, I mean you even grow things without knowing,” Hunk laughed, Keith immediately got the joke for once.

Keith was put into a good mood; maybe they could be good friends after all.

-

Lance came home later than usual, but he was excited, “Guess who bought Chipotle?!”

“That's why you're late and told me not to make dinner,” Keith sighed, staring from the kitchen table. 

He was currently playing Uno with the girls and Keiko was winning by a long shot. While Lance set out food on the counter, Keiko called out, “Uno!”

“Not fair!!” Cecilia huffed, carrying five cards, “You always win!”

“You gotta keep up with my game, Sister,” Keiko snapped, turning to Keith, “Your move, Daddy.”

Lance fucking died, wheezing over his wrapped burrito. Keith shook his head, placing down a red one. Cecilia threw down a blue one as a counterattack, “Deal with that!”

Keiko simply scoffed, “Watch this.”

She slowly placed her card on top of her sister's. It was plus four card. Keiko was officially the Queen of Uno. Lance couldn't stop laughing, he was turning red, “Alright. I guess winner can have her tacos first.”

“You bet,” Keiko put on her sunglasses before grabbing her set of tacos. Lance couldn't take this seriously anymore. He adored kids so much. 

Keith was putting the cards away at this point, “I guess Cecilia and I were tied for second, so… I think we'll get our meals now.”

Lance set down another plate of tacos for Cecilia and a burrito for Keith, “Eat up. We'll be taking out another crib soon. I'll need you to hold the door open.”

“Wow. Just wait until I hold a box. How groundbreaking.”

“I know, right?”

Keith rolled his eyes, removing the foil from his wrapped goodness, “Just eat your burrito.”

After they ate, they all drove to Shiro's place. Keith texted earlier and he agreed to help move stuff out. That was a relief, to be honest. Shiro hadn't seen Keith in a long time due to his long hours. He knew Keith was pregnant, but he hadn't seen Keith, so he was slightly worried.

Shiro saw Lance park his car behind his own and watched as the girls ran out first. Keiko ran into him for a big hug as well as Cecilia. He loved these two; he was slightly envious that they had children, but at the same time he was proud. The girls soon left his grasp and looked out the door, Lance and Keith had a bit of trouble.

Keith got stuck with his seatbelt while Lance tried his hardest to untangle it. Shiro was questioning whether he should bother to help. After a minute, Keith was out and started walking towards Shiro. At first, he couldn't recognize Keith. 

His short hair, soft appearance, and huge belly obviously caught him off guard. Keith went in for a side hug and smiled, his dimples were accented by how soft he was, “It's been a while.”

Shiro happily exhaled, that voice was definitely Keith's, “It sure has. Come in, please.”

Lance shook hands with Shiro, but Shiro scrapped that and gave him a death squeeze of a hug. If anything, Lance was family. Lance chuckled, “It's nice you see you again, Man.”

“It's certainly nice to see you, too. Are you two coming for the crib and a few extras?”

“Yeah. We're planning on deconstructing the crib and seeing what else is good to take,” Lance shrugged, “I don't really know what Keith has.”

“We didn't… have much,” Keith sighed, walking over to the basement door, “Girls, please stay up here. There's stuff in here that isn't safe.”

The girls knew they weren't allowed to go in, so they brought more card games. Lance opened the door and helped Keith down the stairs. It was a large basement with windows on the side. Lance looked around, “Not bad. You guys have a lot of stuff down here.”

“Yeah… It's Mom and Dad's stuff and then some of ours.”

“Ah,” Lance looked down, “Um… why is there blood on the floor.”

“As soon as I had Keiko, my ex-boyfriend was demanding for her and he followed me home… I hid her and had to fight him off.”

“Is this your blood?”

“No. It was his. I whacked him with a baseball bat, but I fainted.”

“Keith, what the fuc-”

Shiro walked in, “Hey, guys. I moved the crib to the side there, if you wanna take a look there.”

“Thanks, Shiro. If you want, you can play Uno with the girls.”

“Oh, that sounds fun. I guess I'll join.”

Lance laughed, “He's gonna get his ass kicked by Keiko.”

“Yup,” Keith snickered, “Let's get started.”

Lance moved boxes over to reach the crib and paused. There was a huge box in front of them with a name that he didn't recognize. It wasn't Shiro's mother or father and they didn't have other siblings. Lance was confused, “Who is this? Who's Clare?”

It felt like a slap to the face, Keith hadn’t heard that name for years. He knew he had to face this one day. He didn't want to, but if something important happened and Lance needed old, important documents, they were in here. He pulled out a photo album from inside the box and turned to the first page, “Who does that look like?”

“I don't know, but she's cute.”

“Lance. Are you serious right now?”

“Yeah. I'm not stupid.”

“I never said you were.”

“Then answer my question.”

“Ugh,” Keith turned the page to more photos, “Does ‘Clare’ look at all familiar?”

“No…” Lance took the album, finding prom and graduation photos from some person's high school. 

Keith pulled out a yearbook, “Here. Check page ten.”

Lance took the book and flipped pages, “Clare?? Clare  _ Kogane _ ?”

“You have a sister? Is she taken?”

“No. What will it take for you to get it through your head! It was me before I transitioned,” Keith pulled a photo out and compared it to his own, “Look. Younger me is, uh, kinda ugly.”

“Are you kidding me? Younger you looks great. I mean, you now… you're a fucking meal. This kid looks like a fucking snack. If you weren't in Texas for high school, I would've tried my hardest to date you.”

“Kinda creepy, not gonna lie. Anyway, my documents with my deadname are in here. I think I changed all of my legal documents already, but if something happens to me and you need them, they're in this box.”

“Got it. What else is in this basement?” Lance put everything back into that box and put it to the side, “There's a box back here near the crib.”

“That's Keiko's baby clothes,” Keith looked over, watching Lance pull the box out from the dust.

He chuckled, “I wanna see how small she was. I have a feeling you were exaggerating on her size.”

Keith rolled his eyes, “Why would I lie about that? I pushed her out of my fucking hole.”

“No details, thanks,” Lance opened the box and picked up an old onesie. Tears came to his eyes immediately, “She was  _ so fucking tiny _ .”

“I told you so,” Keith sighed, “She was small, but I'm sure that she's supposed to be bigger.”

Lance sighed, “Poor thing. I wish I was there for her. I don’t know how she’s happy with me.”

“It’ll be okay. I think she understands,” Keith reached deeper in the box and found another album, “I put this together in case she wanted to see it, but now, I guess you can.”

Lance took the album, opening it up slowly, “Wow, I just…”

He flipped through photos, seeing pictures of Keiko in the backseat of the car, in front of Shiro’s house, in the kitchen eating an orange. Lance couldn’t help it, but cry. It hit him at this moment how much he missed of her small life. That was  _ his fucking baby _ and he missed it all. He was mad that Keith didn’t tell him earlier, but he couldn’t turn back time if he wanted. He saw a photo of Keiko getting ready for her first day of school and he just broke down.

Keith panicked, getting on his knees in order to hug him in the best way that he could, “I’m so sorry. I wish I could give you the opportunity to live through your daughter’s life. I’m so sorry, Lance.”

The album was covered in tears, Lance dropped it back into the box, “I want… to live a life where I stayed with you from the beginning in order to live our lives to the fullest. I’d be able to raise my daughter, we probably could’ve have another and named them. I’m so frustrated. I feel like I  _ wasted _ my life all the way up to meeting you again. I didn’t want to be depressed and lonely. Look at me, I’m happy now, but why so later? I just…”

“If I knew that I’d be having a child and a family, I would’ve lived my early life so much differently. I would’ve taken care of myself and done better. I had potential and I wasted it,” Keith started to wipe away Lance’s tears, “It’s okay now. We just have to make the best out of it. Trust me, it kinda works. She was the best thing that had ever happened to me. If it wasn’t for her, I probably would’ve been dead by now.”

“Don’t say that,” Lance looked at him in the eye, “I know you’re better than that.”

“I wouldn’t say so,” Keith looked away, “Hey, let’s just get the crib out of here. I have another highchair in here, too.”

Lance got the idea and got up, helping him up as well, “Alright. Let’s just try to deconstruct this crib. You got a screwdriver?”

“Electric handheld or manual?” Keith walked over to the side where a large toolbox sat.

Lance got a closer look of the crib, “Electric will do, I think.”

Keith handed him the screwdriver and watched as Lance undid all the screws. After a while of collecting parts, they made a pile of “crib” and went to pull the highchair out. Keith felt slightly odd reusing the same crib, but they needed it. Keiko and Cecilia’s cribs were the same color and around the same height and size, so they matched somewhat. Lance planned on getting a few people to paint the room mint green, too.

Lance didn't say much while getting parts of the crib upstairs, but it was obvious that he cried. Keith was still in the basement, taking apart the highchair since it was detachable and split into parts. Lance soon took that upstairs, too. Keith knew that Lance probably would've wanted more stuff out of this trip, but Keith didn't have anything else besides the car seat. No diaper changing table, no rocking chair, no actual nursery. Lance wanted the best for his kids and Keith couldn't provide that at all. He didn't have the opportunity to, so it made him feel like a failure, in this case. 

It made Keith wonder about that perfect life Lance was talking about. If they stayed together after that night, would everything be fixed? Would Keiko have a wonderful quality of life? Would she be more open to people instead of being so painfully shy? Was Lauren right? Did raising a child alone really fuck them up? What about Cecilia? That precious fucking ball of sunshine??? Would she still exist if they stayed together? Lance came back downstairs and saw the distress on Keith's face.

“Look, it's okay. We can't linger on this anymore, we're only going to make things harder for the girls. We have two more kiddos on the way, so it's our chance to be good parents for these two. The girls know we adore them to pieces and bits. These kids know, too. The girls ended up okay so far, but these kids will be raised a little differently. That's totally okay. The girls will understand; I'm pretty sure that it's what they want for their siblings.”

“Really?” 

“I'm a hundred percent sure, Keith. They want to see us happy and they want a family. They never had one before.”

“You're not wrong… I love them all so much. It's almost too much to do, but it'll be worth it, right?”

“You still have doubt?” 

“Yeah. We're sacrificing so much for these kids and for the family.”

“Listen, things are already getting harder. I know you're hurting right now by moving around, but we must stay strong. It'll be so worth it in the end. Our beautiful girls and then our beautiful twins. What's not to love? I think we're prepared for this.”

“You have a point. It's, like, we're both convincing each other that this is a good idea.”

“Because it is.”

“I feel like… we could've adopted, but with my criminal record, I don’t know. I’m so uncertain what to feel about certain things anymore.”

“It's kinda too late for that, babe,” Lance wiped his hand on his pants and rubbed Keith's belly, “You convinced me that it'll be okay and now you're wanting to back out?”

“It's just… will this decision really make us happy? What if these kids have problems or they die early? What if I die during labor? I talked to Hunk and he said that he'd be able to support us if anything bad happened to me or the babies, but… I don't want to leave you guys. I don't want the twins to die… It's a family splitting. I'm... scared.”

“I'm gonna be honest with you. I fucking love you and if you die or the babies die, I will never leave the family we created. They will always be by my side. I will do my very best. I'm gonna do my hardest to be the best father I can be for them. I can promise you that,” Lance was having trouble keeping himself together. He had thoughts of Keith dying and knew that risk was high, but he didn't want to think about it. His heart was already broken once, why do it again? 

Keith hugged him so tightly, “If I go, or the twins go, just know that we'll always be with you no matter what. We all love you so much. You'll never be alone. This isn't about us anymore, it’s about all of us.”

-

A few weeks later, Lance's mother came to the house while no one besides Keith was home. He definitely wasn't expecting for her to be here so early, but so be it. She quickly walked in and set her stuff down, “It's so nice to see you!” 

She gave him a side hug and a smile, “How have you been, mijo? You look really big.”

“I'm doing okay, I'm very excited to have twins.”

“It's going to be hard after birth, so that's why I'm here. I want to help you and Lance.”

“I really appreciate your help, ma'am. Um, I can put your things in the guest room.”

She completely ignored him and went over herself, “Don't worry. It's fine.”

“Alright…” He sighed, she was nice and all, but he didn't know  _ that _ much about her.

She looked around the house for a while, Keith following her, too. The grandmother didn't seem very impressed with having Kosmo inside; she didn't like how dirty the place was, either. Keith didn't think that it was dirty, but she was kind of pushing it. 

“Mijo, why is there dust everywhere?? This isn't safe for you or the babies. Get Lance to wash the dog, too. He smells bad,” Her faces of disgust told the whole story.

Keith sighed again, “Ma'am, I can't have Lance do everything. He's so worried that he comes home early.”

She shrugged, “I guess then I'll clean and he'll wash the dog. We can't have you do much now. You look close to being due.”

“I'm still a few months away.”

“It's dangerous to be that big and still walk around.”

“I know.”

-

When Lance got home, he was thrilled, but the nagging made him feel a little bad. He didn't like thinking that he was potentially a safety hazard for his husband. Keith seemed confused the entire time, but then Lance couldn't blame him; he's never had a Cuban grandma around before.

While his mother planned on making dinner for them, Lance decided to start planning the baby shower. Both him and Keith were sitting at the kitchen table with a journal open.

“Keith, so we need a date. Do you want one closer to your due date or one close to now?”

“Maybe closer to now. I don't feel like it'd be a good idea to have a party while stressed over the babies.”

“Alright, do you want a cake or something?”

“Sure, how about a funny gender reveal cake, but instead of boy or girl it's a joke. The cake asks, 'What are the twins?’ The cake opens up to rainbow Skittles and a small note comes out saying, 'They're children!’”

“That's cute. I think Hunk will be happy to make that cake.”

“Yup, are we gonna have it at the house?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Um, what happens at a baby shower besides gift giving?”

“Mom had a lot of baby showers, there were so many of us. They’re usually girl only parties, but we don't have many friends, so co-ed is fine. It's just talking about the babies and eating. Games are fun, but most adults think that it's stupid.”

“I'd be too tired to play games.”

“Card games??”

“I guess?”

“We can have like a drawing for a potential names?”

“No, I don't want to feel obligated to name my children that.”

“We'll think of games later, but for sure we're having a cake, gift giving, a close date?”

“Yup, that sounds right.”

“Alright. This sounds good.”

-

Keith was having a lot of trouble when he came for his next appointment. His hips were hurting so bad when standing; it was just so much and his back couldn't support both like that. The babies also had a tendency to push down on a major vein which caused him to faint before. Now, he was desperate for help.

Lance's mother said she never experienced pain and fainting to this severity before. That didn't help, but she tried her hardest multiple times to help him out.

While going to see Adam again, Keith started to think of solutions to this. He wasn't necessarily disabled, but would he end up using a wheelchair? Sitting hurt, too, but not as much as standing. He'd faint less, too. Lance noticed how deep into his head Keith was and sighed, “I know things haven't been going so well, but it'll be okay. You're far enough along that they have a higher chance of making it. If we need to, I don't know, get a C-section to remove them sooner than expected, it'll be okay.”

“I know, but I worry. What if they grow too big to come out? They're putting so much pressure and it hurts so much. I can't even take care of myself like this,” Keith started to cover his face and tear up.

Lance was already at the hospital and turned off the car. He leaned over in an attempt to hug and comfort him, “Keith, remember, we're here to help you. Hopefully Adam can help you. I can't stand to see you in pain like this.”

“It's selfish of me to complain because I really want it. I just want a normal pregnancy. Why is everything so hard?”

“It's not selfish, you're in actual pain. Blood isn't going to your head and you're at risk for preeclampsia. Twin pregnancies are much more dangerous and unexpected. It's okay to feel like this. Just know that everything will be alright. Don't worry. We'll do our best to help you.”

“Let's just go. I don't wanna pay late fees again.”

Lance didn't say anything anymore and just helped him up and out of the car. It was hard to reason with Keith. He didn't know what to expect with him.

-

Adam looked concerned about Keith's health issues, “Based on what I'm hearing, you're not doing so well. Bed rest is what is needed. I need your back to be elevated, though. It might cause more weight on your hips, but we can't have you fainting like that anymore.”

“Are you kidding me?” 

“Nope, I'm sorry, Keith. If you do need to get around, I would definitely use a wheelchair. I'm actually worried that you might have contractions while standing for a long time. We need to have those two very developed so that there won't be that many complications.”

Lance grew more and more frightened; what if Keith really was to die? He didn't want another Lauren scenario here. Was if Keith bled to death during labor? He gulped, “Will being in a wheelchair really help?”

“Yeah, but I would prefer to keep him in bed. A wheelchair should be used for when he needs to get up and be around. You have another caretaker, correct?”

“Yeah, my mom came from Cuba just to help out. I became paranoid over losing the babies or Keith because he was moving around too much. She's helped so much with the stuff he usually does.”

“Well, now that we have that settled, I need to do an ultrasound. I'm curious to see if they're fraternal or identical. Identical would have more risk involved. I want to make sure that we're taking the correct precautions.”

Adam had Keith raised while he did a quick check. Adam shook his head, “Looks like you two are having identical twins. Both male.”

Keith looked down to the floor, a blank slate of a face, “I don't know whether to be sad or happy.”

“Good news! They're around the same size and they have a lot of fluid to be in.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Well, for now, bed rest is mandatory, but everything should be over soon. It's currently late October now, so you just have to go with it for a few more months.”

Lance forced a smile on his face and held Keith's hand, “Hey, at least we know that they're identical. That'll be super cute right?”

Keith realized that Lance was trying to cheer him up, “Yeah. I guess.”

Lance felt bad, but what could he do? He pulled out an invitation for the baby shower and handed it to Adam, “Hey, um, this is kind of last minute, but here's the invitation for the baby shower. We kind of wanted to get it out of the way now instead of panicking later.”

“That's certainly smart. I'll definitely be going. Thank you for inviting me. Hopefully it'll be less stressful afterwards, right?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Keith slowly got up by himself and started to walk towards the door, “We'll be leaving now. I'll go to the lab right now. Call me if anything is suspicious, okay?”

Adam felt all the grief that Keith had in that moment. Lance quickly apologized and went after him. 

-

The day of the baby shower was a little stressful, but everything turned out smoothly. Hunk brought the cake over, people brought small gifts and everyone talked about the babies to come. Lance was happy about the session, but soon people started to give weird advice. 

“Make sure you don’t take Keith to the zoo, his babies will definitely look like monkeys.”

“He’ll have a shorter pregnancy because he chopped his hair.”

“If he gets water even close to his…  _ you know what,  _ he’ll go into labor immediately.”

“He’s like humpty dumpty, he isn’t going to bounce, he’s gonna crack. You can’t put him back together again.”

Lance was so confused, but he realized that telling him would be better than telling Keith. Keith would kick all of them out. The person who gave the most reasonable advice was Shay, bless her heart. She told Keith straight up, too. 

“I know things are going to be hard, but hang in there, you’ll be happy afterward. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s hard, but a helping hand is the thing you’ll need most.”

Keith was surprised that she said anything to him, but he appreciated it, “Thank you for your kind words. Since we have Lance’s mom around, I think things will be much better. If you need any help yourself, don’t be afraid to give us a call.”

She smiled, “Don’t worry about it, just try to spend as much time with your babies as possible. I know they love you.”

“I think they’ll be even happier knowing that their aunt is a beautiful, strong woman,” He chuckled, “Lance and I were thinking of making both you and Hunk the godparents.”

“I’m so honored,” She was a bit in shock, “I don’t know what to say, but thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” A boomerang of words there, Keith.

-

Shiro came around the same time as everyone else came, but felt out of place. He didn’t know the others so well, but he saw them at his brother’s wedding. He said his greetings and hung out with Cecilia and Keiko, but it felt empty. Thirty minutes within the party, someone else came by the door. Lance made it to the door and opened it, greeting the person, too. Shiro could’t help, but hear the familiar voice. 

It was Adam. 

“Hey, Lance. How’s everything? Sorry I came by late, one of my patients was being such an arse and took their sweet time. I brought a gift!” Adam handed it to Lance before walking inside, “You two have such a nice house. Perfect view of the sea, too.”

Lance answered back, talking about how there was cake in the kitchen and drinks. Shiro was in the kitchen, hiding with the girls under the counter. They were playing Uno in secret, but soon Keiko got up, “It’s Mr. Adam!”

Cecilia giggled and looked up at Shiro, “Isn’t he your boyfriend?”

“Um,” He blushed, not sure what to do. He didn’t want to scare Adam off, he did nothing wrong, but still. It had been such a long time. 

Soon the youngest ran off with Keiko following, Shiro gulped, they weren’t going to bring him over, were they? 

Adam walked into the kitchen and picked up a slice of cake. The girls were talking to him about how there was a surprise for him in here, too. He shrugged, “How can there be a surprise for me in here? There’s just cake.”

“Under the counter,” Keiko chuckled.

Adam looked under the counter, baffled, “Shiro, why the hell are you under there? Are those Uno cards?”

Shiro crawled out and sighed, “Yeah, uh, it’s been a while.”

“You still didn’t explain the Uno cards.”

“I was playing Uno with the girls here, but Keiko didn’t like all the loud chatter in the living room, so we came here.”

“That’s sweet of you. Okay, so now we can catch up. I opened up a practice at the hospital you work at.”

“For how long?”

“A few months now. I finally got the chance to come up here after you.”

“You could’ve stayed with someone else in Texas. I’m not worth you coming all the way over here. Why didn’t you tell me you were here earlier?”

“I’m Keith’s OB/GYN. I didn’t want you to get upset or something. If we were to get married, I can no longer be his OB/GYN. I kind of wanted to give him a chance. He has trust in me to care for him, so I want to continue to do that.”

“Such a nobel causes, Adam. Are you still single or…?”

“I  _ did _ come after you. I suggest we go out on a date later this week. How about it?”

“You’re so quick about it. I didn’t really expect that from you.”

“I miss you, Takashi. I really do. I feel as if we were always meant to be, but now I realize that it’s true. You’re such a nerd  _ and _ a dork and I fell in love with you. It seems unhealthy, doesn’t it?”

“Not really. I’ve felt the same ever since we left. It’s so lonely up here. Working long hours doesn’t help either. I’m seriously thinking of retiring soon. I don’t feel happy doing this everyday. My parents encouraged me to become a doctor and I was into it, but after so long, it’s made me miserable.”

“I know it seems so hopeless, but hang in there. I know you can do it.”

“You get the reward of babies and mothers being so happy. I get ill patients who unfortunately stay ill or die. It’s so depressing and stressing. I’m covered with white hairs eternally. The girls made fun of me one day by saying I had unicorn hair.”

“It’s not a bad look, Takashi,” Adam smiled, “I feel as if maybe that’s the perfect look for you. Unicorns aren’t bad, y’know.”

“Perhaps. What’s new with you?”

“Nothing much. My practice has gotten much more popular nowadays. Odd since women feel more comfortable with another woman.” 

“You’re a pretty attractive doctor, if I do say so myself,” Shiro winked, “Hopefully we can become more acquainted with ourselves.”

“Gross, but alright,” Adam laughed, “Let’s get back to the party. I haven’t seen Keith smile in a while. He’s worried out of his mind, poor thing.”

When they both made it back to the living room, Lance’s mother was telling a story about the time that she left her husband to watch over all of her kids. It was a disaster, but everyone had a great time. Lance added to her story that his dad always forgot about the beans on the stove and it smelled so bad. Keith chuckled saying that Lance did the same thing a week ago. Embarrassed, his husband made faces and pouted, “You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“I am, but you did that to yourself by bringing it up!” Keith huffed, “Whatever.”

Shiro sat down next to him, “Hey, Keith.”

“Glad to see you evolved from the kitchen,” He snorted, “I assume your meeting with Adam was good.”

Shiro turned to Adam and winked again, “You’re right, but let’s keep that for later.”

-

After the party ended and people were leaving, Shiro, Lance, and Keith were left. The girls and Lance’s mother went out to water the bluebonnets. Keith was asleep like a rock on the sofa and Lance was talking to Shiro, “So, what was it like having Keith around when he was younger?”

“Well, he was shy, but kind when he was being treated right. Mom broke him out of his shell quite quickly since she always gave him hugs and fed him well. After a few months, they were close. When it came to school and stuff, I would help him out. I gave him advice about college and what he could do. Everything was fine and dandy until his senior year. That’s when he wanted to transition and we moved up here in fear of him getting killed or something. We got a lot of death threats.”

“That’s terrible. I can’t imagine him getting threats over this. He’s so kind and nice. I don’t understand why people would do that to him.”

“A lot of people hurt him because of transitioning. Our parents were fine with it since he kept up with his studies and still treated a lot of people with respect. As soon as he started to come to the community college up here, things turned for the worst. He started dating, but all the people he was been with ended up hurting him in someway or another. They led him into drinking and soon it was a way to cope with domestic violence. I knew it was starting to get bad when I found him along the side of road at two in the morning. His ex drugged him and left him to die. I just didn’t know what to do. At that point, our parents passed away, so we didn’t have anyone to turn to. I was terrified that night because I didn’t know if he was going to wake up.”

Lance sat there for a moment, speechless about it all, but he spoke up, “Is there any chance that he could’ve been raped, too?”

“I… don’t know. I don’t... want to know. The only partners he’s been with were all abusive. You know about his last one before meeting you. He tried to murder Keith and take Keiko away. It’s just sad to think that he went through a lot just to find out who he really was. I’m so happy he found you. I don’t think he would’ve made it this far without you. He loves you so much and I know everyday, he thinks about how much he loves you for everything you’ve done to him.”

“I’m so glad to know all of this. I don’t want to hurt him in the future due to me being insensitive. It’s already happened once and it felt like the worst feeling in the world. He is so important to me; he cares so much. I don’t know why he even gave me a chance the night I met him. He looked so sad and frustrated, it breaks my heart thinking about it. Knowing that he agreed to having more children with me, it shows how strong he is.”

“He loves you so much that trusts you completely. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be sleeping right next to you like that.”

“I love him, too. We’ve been through a lot now and this pregnancy gave both of us terrible doubt and anxiety, but I have a feeling that it’ll be okay. We’re together for it, we’re happy for them, we have so many people supporting us. It’s a great feeling.”

“I’m glad that everything is turning out to be okay. He worries me a lot, but I know he’s in good hands. Has Adam been a good OB/GYN?”

“Yeah, he has. He's been wonderful. He found out that Keith was having twins in the first place. He didn't doubt anything we said.”

“That's great to hear. I'm gonna be on my way now. Tell Keith that I'm proud of him, okay?”

“Alright. He had a great time today, thanks for coming.”

Shiro waved good-bye and went on his way, excited for his later date with Adam.

-

Keith was in bed again, sleeping even more. Lance didn't know what to do with him anymore. Doing anything hurt his hips and back, so it was just a game of when-is-my-husband-coming-back-from-war? It was funny watching Keith's belly move up and down from all the movements from the babies. They were having a blast up in there.

Lance rubbed his belly, wondering what these two would grow up to be. Doctors? Professors? Singers? He smiled, humming to them again. His girls were so precious and lovely. He hoped these two were, too. Keith stirred, looking up at Lance, “What are you doing?”

“Singing again.”

“Oh,” He stretched a bit, but stopped once a sharp pain hit his back. These two were heavy babies. He grunted, relaxing back into the sheets.

Lance let out a laugh, “You're the most perfect thing in my life. Even your slight double chin is cute.”

That earned him a punch to the gut, and then soon a pinch of his loin, “Like you don't have anything here.”

“Rude!!” Lance started to tickle his humongous belly.

Keith swatted him away, “No! You ass! I'll piss in my pants!”

“That's on you!” Lance stopped and leaned over for a quick peck of a kiss, “I'm so excited for them!”

“Me too,” Keith moved a little closer to Lance, “They'll be running around after you like little demons and they'll call you 'papa’ without the accent.”

“I would raise them better than that.”

“Ceci still calls you a potato.”

“She's my baby, I don't care what she calls me.”

“But they're your babies, too.”

“I  _ guess _ I'll allow it.”

“Good to hear,  _ Papa _ .”

“Alright,  _ Daddy _ .”

-

The girls wanted to go to the park today. They were begging Lance to take Keith, too. Both the parents were worried, but Keith hadn't been outside in a long time. It was closer to his due date and he hadn't taken a foot outside in a month or so. Lance agreed to take him only if he was in the wheelchair the whole time.

The park was lovely, fall was turning into winter and all the trees were letting their leaves go. The bluebonnets in the backyard were dying off from the cold. Keith wasn't able to harvest the seeds, but that was okay. They'd grow again next fall. They grew along with the babies, but so be it. The babies out lived them.

The park was lonely for once and the girls had the playground to themselves. Lance took Keith around the play equipment multiple times. to get some fresh air. It was calming and quiet. The trees welcomed him. As Lance was turning the chair around, something caught his eye. 

There was a lonely man sitting alone at a bench wearing the clothes they gave prisoners once they leave prison. Keith remembered those clothes, he too, wore them many times. Getting a better look at the face, he realized who it was.

Micheal.

Sweet Michael.

Scary Michael.

Sad Michael.

Lance noticed Keith's behavior and questioned him, “What are you doing?”

“That man over there, he was my ex. The ex that tried to take Keiko and kill me.”

“Should we leave?”

“No, can you watch the girls. I wanna talk to him.”

“No, you aren't going anywhere near him. He's going to hurt you.”

“He left prison early, though. He was supposed to come out in seven years. It hasn't been seven.”

“Is that supposed to change my mind?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not going.”

“You aren't the boss of me.”

“You are  _ defenseless _ and  _ pregnant _ . You're carrying precious cargo here.”

“Oh,  _ really _ ? Am I just a tool to carry children?”

“No, but please. Be rational.”

“Eat your words,” Keith kicked Lance and rolled away from him. He wasn't going to lie to himself and say that Lance was wrong, but he wanted answers.

Rolling towards Michael, Keith noticed how scared he was. That didn't make any sense to him. Why was he scared? He rolled in front of him, “Hey, Micheal.”

“Who are you?”

“It's Keith, you're ex.”

“Really? I haven't seen you in so long. I haven't been outside for so long.”

“How was prison? As bad as I described it to be?”

“Yeah…”

“It's ain't fun, but there are reasons why you shouldn't be in there. You're not the best person in the world, but I didn't expect you to try to take my first born.”

“I'm so sorry about that. I just… My boyfriend at the time was so controlling and I was terrified for my life.”

“What?”

“He was part of a human trafficking circle up here in the North. He wanted someone who was about to give birth or someone who just had and who came from this city in particular because it's a small city. If there was a kidnapping of you or her, it'll only make it to local radio news at best. The people who go to the hospitals, they're not from here and who knows what city they come from. It might cause more problems. I didn't know anyone at the time. He made me cheat on you because he offered me money. A lot of money. Ten thousand dollars worth. As soon as I took the money, I was in cahoots with him and his trafficking circle. I  _ had _ to find someone, but no one was having children. I heard by others in the neighborhood that you went on maternity leave, so I tried looking for you. I did and I failed my mission. I'm scared that my ex might still be out there trying to find other women and children. I told the police, but they couldn't find him.”

“So there might be more of these people out here?”

“Yeah. I'd say to be careful and stay at home. Don't tell anyone about your pregnancy, you’re huge, man. They'll try to traffic everyone in your family. You have a good uterus, I'm assuming that tall handsome guy over there is your husband, right? He'd be forced to impregnate other women because of his genes. Those babies sell for a lot of money. Your first born was so beautiful, I didn't want to take her to be sold, but I didn't want to die either. I was happy the police found me instead, to be honest.”

“It's scary to think that. My current husband is the first born's true father and I can't think of this stuff happening. Who would traffic women and little kids?”

“Bad people, Keith. Bad, bad people. I'm so sorry that I became a threat to you and your family. I remember you told me that all you had was your older brother at one point. I'm happy for you Keith, I hope no one else comes to bother you.”

“I'm glad to know the truth. I had a feeling there was a trafficking thing going around. When I was younger, I was drugged and left out to die on the side of the road. The hospital found bruising and weird marks on my body. I think that was a failed purchase or something.”

“It probably was.”

“I hope my kids don't have to live through that.”

“I hope they don't have to either.”

“It was nice seeing you again, though.”

“Good luck with your new babies.”

“Thank you, so much. I'm so grateful to have met you again.”

Keith started to roll away back towards his family, but Micheal just went the other way. Keith turned around to wave good-bye, but soon he left in a red SUV. 

-

Lance's mother met them at the door; she made dinner. Keith was a little quiet from his meeting with Michael. Were they going to take his babies? He was terrified. Michael was still with that guy and he drove away with him. He knew Keith was currently pregnant, but would everything be okay?

After dinner, Lance cuddled up with Keith on the couch, watching a romantic comedy. Lance’s mother was cleaning the kitchen while having the radio on. It was calming, but he really needed to talk to Lance. He huffed, looking up at him, “Can we talk?”

“Huh? Is something wrong? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, but I’m... worried.”

“Why?”

“He told me what happened. Uh, I was involved with human trafficking. He was scared that they were going to kill him if he didn’t find someone that met their criteria. I was on that list and so was Keiko. He said that our entire family could possibly be trafficked. I mean, you’re handsome and you make pretty babies. I would be a device for carrying out babies or I’d be sold as a sex slave. The kids? I don’t know and I don’t wanna know. I thanked him for telling me, but he left with them in a red SUV.”

“Are you going to tell the police?”

“No, our family could die if we out them.”

“But if we don’t, they’d kill us anyway.”

“Can we wait?”

“Why?”

“I don’t wanna have to move if I don’t have to. I’m carrying precious cargo, aren’t I?”

“Right.”

“After I give birth, let’s keep a close eye on things. If we need to, we’ll move to Cuba to stay with your mom a few weeks before figuring out the next plan.”

“That seems the safest, but can we bring newborns on airplanes? What if there’s complications? We can’t take premature babies on the plane.”

“We’ll just drive then. I’ll trade in my car for an SUV.”

“I guess that works.”

“I have a feeling we won’t have to, though.”

-

The day finally came. January seventh was here. Keith grunted in pain, but he expected just as much. Some of the stuff people brought from the baby shower was useful. Shay got him a care package for after birth including nipple cream and arnica. Lance even helped him with packing clothing, but Lance’s mother was adamant about a “ _ faja _ .” Keith wasn’t fond of the idea, but it definitely would help with pushing back his muscles again. 

The girls were to stay home with Abuela for now which was fine, but they were anxious. What if something were to happen to Keith? Would… it be the last time they see him? They all got hugs and kisses, but it was scary to think of. Kosmo tried to distract them since, he too, knew Keith was about to give birth. 

They changed the car seats in the back and thought they had everything, so they left to the hospital. They called Adam as soon as the first contraction came along, so he’d be there on time. Lance was keeping track of the time between his contractions as he drove. They were minutes apart which meant it wasn’t fully time yet. Keith was sweating and flushed; he felt this before, but he hated how much the pain controlled his thoughts. Adam planned for a normal delivery since Keith didn’t really seem to have complications from down there. He did have the materials for a c-section if needed, though.

Shiro was about to end his shift when he saw Keith head towards the maternity ward thought the parking lot. He ran after them and kept up with Lance who was pushing Keith down the road, “You’re having them today!”

Keith was so close to vomiting, “Y-Yeah, I am. It feels as bad as before.”

“You don’t mind me being there, right?”

“No, but don’t flirt with Adam, please. I need to get them out ASAP.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

As they reached the lobby, one of the nurses started to ask Lance questions and they were transferred to a room. 

-

Shiro looked at his hands while sitting with Lance. He couldn’t believe it. Keith was having more children. Lance was a worried mess, he looked close to hyperventilating. It made Keith more nervous. Shiro put a hand a Lance’s shoulder, “He’ll be okay. Be strong for Keith, you’re making him scared. We can’t have that.”

“My previous partner died during labor, so I’m  _ praying  _ that it doesn’t happen again. I  _ won’t _ live with myself if he dies.”

“Have faith and believe that he’ll be okay. Adam is going to try a vaginal birth first, right? I bet you he already has staff ready for an emergency c-section.”

“How did you know?”

“He always loves to make sure that everything will be okay. He had to make sure everything was alright before moving over here. He prioritizes safety and precaution.”

“You think he’ll be okay? I’ve only seen him panic a few times. This happens to be one.”

“He was much worse with Keiko. Imagine having a flat belly and suddenly a five pound baby comes out of nowhere. He’s been pregnant almost the full term, he’ll be okay. The pain will distract him, though.”

“You think the babies will make it? I mean, it’s early. The eighth month.”

“With twins, it’s common, they’ll probably stay for a while, but they’ll be okay.”

“Okay, that’s good to know.”

“Also, after they take the babies, go after them. I haven’t seen any in this hospital, but people switch babies.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m one of the only brown dudes here and we have twins,” It got a chuckle out of Lance, he was finally starting to calm down. 

Shiro gave him another pat on the back, “Genetics don’t always work like that. They might be like Keiko and look like mainly one parent.”

Keith groaned and spoke up, “My babies look exactly like Lance. I just know it. They kick really hard when he speaks.”

“I love them so much. Whether they look like more like him or me, I don’t care. They will be beautiful babies,” Lance got up and walked up over to Keith’s bed, “How are you feeling?”

“My mood is better, but I feel like I’m dying from down there. I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t wanna tear, but it hurts so much. The epidural is just not helping. Adam is getting his team ready, he said in a few minutes that I’d be ready to push. I feel like it.”

As soon as he said that, Adam walked in with a few nurses, “Okay, we’re almost already. You’re ten centimeters dilated, but I’m gonna wait a bit longer to see if they want to come out through there or not. I think they are, though. Let’s get you set up and then we’ll be on our way to giving you your babies.”

Keith was almost having dejavu, his legs were in the same position as the last time he gave birth. Sweat poured down his head, “Can I push, please?!”

“Not yet. I want to see a little more head before you can push. You’ll tear if you do.”

“Fuck,” Keith wasn’t in the mood for this, “I’m sick of this.”

Lance sighed, “May I hold his hand?”

“It’ll break off, Sir,” One of the nurses shrugged, getting ready to add oxytocin to Keith’s IV. 

Keith grabbed his hand anyway, “You don’t need a hand to research, do you?”

“I guess not,” Lance gulped, he wasn’t ready for any of this. His beloved was opening inside out for two babies.

Adam nodded, getting into position, “Keith, on the count of three, I need you to push. One, two, three.”

Keith’s red grew red quickly, his face scrunched up in pain, he pushed with all of his might. Lance was sure his hand was broken now and they hadn’t gone through one baby yet. Adam had the full head of one twin in his hands, “Push again, but not as hard. I need to see if it’ll hurt the other twin.”

Keith pushed and with the slight pulling of Adam, one baby came out. Keith almost gasped for air, “Is it over? Did both of them come out?”

“No, we need to get the other out.”

He groaned before another contraction hit. One of the twins was getting cleaned up as Adam started to check Keith’s state before proceeding. He was trying to get a feel for the other twin, but when he did, he internally cursed. The baby was breech. It wasn’t hard, but slightly more complicated. 

“Look, Keith. The baby is breech, but I’m just gonna have to turn them. Is that okay with you?”

“Yeah, I don’t care. They need to be o u t.”

Adam quickly got to work and carefully twisted the baby forward. Lance’s eyes were as big as saucers. He didn’t understand how that was possible, but he just did that. The baby started to move again and Keith started to breathe a little harder again, “Can I push?”

“Yeah, might as well,” Adam was watching over Keith’s vitals at the moment.

He pushed and out came out baby number two. Lance started to cry immediately. Nothing bad happened to the babies. They were fine! Keith just needed to pass the placenta now and then recovery. Lance looked down at Keith’s expression and sighed, he was pale and looking for his babies, “I wanna hold them.”

“We need to pass this placenta first. You’re very as risk for bleeding. We can’t have that. We’re administering oxytocin now to help the contractions to stop bleeding.”

“I want my babies.”

“Soon, Keith. Soon.”

Adam was holding the umbilical cord and was waiting for the right contraction in order to help out the placenta. Lance was wiping sweat off of Keith constantly, reassuring him that everything would be alright. Keith started to feel a little woozy, “I don’t feel too good…”

“He’s losing a lot of blood, I think turning twin B caused it,” Adam slowed down his removal of the placenta to see if Keith was just a person with a lot of blood. This was a cause of alarm for the team. Lance panicked, color draining from his face. Keith was losing way too much blood now. It was going to happen again, wasn’t it?

-

They ordered a private room in order to deliver the babies and to be the postnatal ward, but they were going to be in the NICU. They took Keith somewhere else in order to stop the bleeding before he lost way too much blood. He was dripping blood as they wheeled him away. Lance didn’t follow them. Shiro sat there in shock, he couldn’t believe how much pain Lance was in. He stood up and hugged him, they were both worried. 

Two hours of waiting turned into three. This wasn’t good news. The nurses invited Lance to see the twins so he did. 

They were the most beautiful creatures on the planet. They did, in fact, look very much like him. His skin tone, eyes, ears, and smile. They were happy with each other and they knew their father was there. They were chubby babies, a mop of black hair covered them. They were well developed for being premature. It made Lance wonder if they were full term instead of premature.

Since they were fine and thriving, they allowed Lance and a nurse to bring them back to the private room. They had access to nurses galore there, so it wouldn’t be a problem. When Lance came back, Shiro was gone. The room was the same, but there were clean sheets on the bed that was left behind. Lance and the nurse put the twins’ incubator to the side of the bed and soon the nurse left.

He stood, watching over the twins. They were wiggling near each other, wearing matching red onesies. They were so cute and delightful, he hoped Keith would come back to see them. They looked hungry. 

He suddenly heard screaming from the bathroom. He could recognize that voice anywhere. Lance opened the door to find Keith crying over the toilet with Shiro and a nurse. The nurse was trying to help him to quickly get back to bed with the help of Shiro’s strength. It hurt really bad to urinate for Keith, but he really wasn’t supposed to be up right now and the nurse was panicking about it. 

As soon as Keith got into bed again, Lance handed him each twin, one-by-one, “I thought you were going to die. That was scary. I thought I would’ve been left alone with the twins again. The first twin is the eldest. The second is the youngest.”

“They’re really heavy,” Keith was still a bit woozy, but kept on strong, “I have a lot of blood. That wasn’t the issue as to why I feel gross.”

“What happened?”

“Side effects of the meds they gave me. I didn’t take any of them when I had Keiko.”

“Oh,” Lance felt like all of his worrying was for nothing, “Will you be okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. No tearing! Adam didn’t have to stitch anything. I asked him, too. ‘Are you sure you don’t gotta stitch anything?’ And he was like, ‘You’re fine, Keith. Just try to feed the babies when you have a chance.’”

Keith opened up his hospital gown and started to feed one of the babies. He handed Lance the other, “I don’t know how they latched on so fast. You were hungry, weren’t you, little guy?”

Lance noticed how Keith was gently feeding the oldest. It was so soft and caring; he had never seen anything of the sort. He smiled and soon switched babies with Keith again. “What will you name them?”

“The eldest? He reminds me of your outgoing personality so much. I’ll name him Leo. The youngest is more reserved like myself, so I guess Luca. If they ever want to change their name, they can. I didn’t really like the English gender neutral names. They’re kinda ugly.”

Lance chuckled, “You’re not wrong. English is a weird language.”

Shiro watched them from afar, happy to know that things like this were okay. To think, a few years ago, Keith was single and about to give birth to his first child. Now, he was married, happy, and had more children. 

It made Shiro wonder; could he do the same?

-

When the family was allowed home, the girls hugged Keith. They somehow convinced themselves that Keith wasn’t going to make it, but he did. The twins were in carriers which were being carried by Lance. Lance’s mother quickly went to pick up the twins. She gasped, “They’re so cute! They look just like Lance.”

She turned to Keith, “You did such a good job. I’m so proud of you. It must’ve been so hard.”

“It was hard, but I made it. The twins made it. We’re doing okay,” Keith chuckled, but winced; he wasn’t doing so well from down there.

The girls were jumping around Lance’s mother, they wanted to see the babies. Cecilia was in awe, “They’re so small!!!”

Keiko made a face, “Why do they look like burnt potatoes?”

Keith held back a laugh, “They’ll be nicer looking soon. Give them a break, they were just born.”

“You gave birth and you’re still pretty. They don’t have an excuse.”

“Well, you looked the same. All small and potato-y.”

Lance laughed, “I guess we’re all potatoes.”

“Except Daddy,” Cecilia pointed to him,”He’s too pretty. He’s, like, a carrot.”

Keith couldn’t help it, he laughed. Thank goodness he was wearing a huge ass pad. Lance’s mother carried the babies upstairs and Lance helped Keith out. Kosmo followed them up the stairs, he grew to be more gentle, surprisingly. Keith was excited to be home, his family, his dog, and his bed. He was tired. Lance helped Keith onto the bed. It was such a weird feeling to think the babies were here now.  _ Their _ babies. The babies they worked hard to keep. 

Keith brought the twins with him into bed, holding them with such care. They looked up at him, uwu-ing. Their dad sighed, shaking his head, “These babies annoy me. I didn't spend almost nine months carrying them for them to uwu.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, geez,” Lance sat next to him, staring at their beautiful boys, “They’re so precious. I can’t believe they haven’t cried more.”

“Keiko didn’t cry unless something was wrong, so maybe they’re the same.”

“When I first brought Cecilia home, she was crying the entire time. All day, all night. I didn’t know what else to think really. I had to call Mom. She came and helped out and she’s doing the same now. It almost feels like a bad dream.”

“Maybe it was.”

“Huh?”

“We were sleeping, but now we’re not. We’re awake, alive, and thriving. We found each other, I wouldn’t call that sleeping.”

“Perhaps.”

Keith started to feed one of the twins again, “They’re hungry, I feel it.”

“Can you really?”

“Yup,” Keith gave him the other baby, “I’ll feed him in a sec.”

Lance turned on the television, the girls sat at the edge of bed, watching with them. The news was on and the anchor seemed distressed, but happy. 

She swallowed and then looked directly at the camera, “This is breaking news: a group of human traffickers were found and arrested in this area. A man named Michael Forney directed the police to a group of apartment buildings not too far from the city center. Detectives are currently trying to figure out where some of the other victims could possibly be located. More tonight at nine.”

Keith’s jaw dropped, “Michael outed his ex. I’m just… speechless.”

“Was that the group?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Are we safe then?”

“I guess so.”

“You wanna go celebrate?”

“Nah, let’s just have a pizza.”

-

-

Lance and Keith were in hammocks near the ocean. The breeze brushed against their faces, warm sand and sunlight basked their skin, they were happy. Their silence was broken by two little rascals screaming off the top of their lungs.

“Daddy! Leo hit me again!” 

“No, I didn’t!”

Keith sighed, “Leo, what did I tell you? You can’t be hitting your siblings like that. You’re the older twin, you’re supposed to be more responsible than this. Luca isn’t hitting you back. He’s being responsible.”

“Tch,” Leo walked back to where his sisters were. They were eating strawberry sundaes and talking about school. 

Luca climbed on top of Lance, “Papa, when are we going back home? I miss Kosmo.”

“In a week we’ll go back home. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure that Shiro and Adam can watch over a dog.”

Keith huffed, “You admit he’s dog.”

“Keith, stop.”

His husband shook his head and went on his cellphone. Speak of the devil, Shiro was calling him, “Hello? Shiro?”

“Hey, Keith. I just wanted to ask you something. I was wondering if you’d be my best man for our wedding.”

“You’re getting married?! When?”

“In the fall. We’re so excited, I proposed and he said yes! I’ve never been this happy before. Teaching at the university in the other city has helped so much. I actually have time to do stuff. I went on a walk with Kosmo for the first time yesterday and it was actually pretty fun. How’s the vacation?”

“It’s going great. Luca misses Kosmo and Lance is being such a butt.”

Lance shouted, “You’re the one being the butt.”

Shiro laughed, “I’ll let you guys get back to being the butts. Have a safe trip back. Call me to pick you guys up from the airport, okay?”

“Alright, bye,” Keith hung up and smiled, “Shiro’s getting married. I feel old.”

“You  _ are  _ old. I mean, you don’t look old, but I see a single gray hair.”

“Oh, really? Take it out.”

Lance reached over, “It’s purple.”

“What?”

“Purple gray hair. Interesting…” Lance yanked it out, “I have a theory. You’re part alien.”

“...Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Lame. Hey, wanna get in the water?”

“Sure.”

Lance set Luca down to go towards his siblings and followed Keith to the water. The water was so bright and blue, it almost looked fake. Keith bent down and picked up some sand; even the sand was pretty. He chuckled, “I didn’t know you were raised in a resort town, Lance.”

“Yup, I was. Cuba’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

Lance pushed Keith into the water, “C’mon. Get in the water. Don’t be such a chicken!”

“You’re an ass!”

Lance ripped off his shirt and followed in, “It feels so nice! The water isn’t freezing cold like in the North.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“Take your shirt off. You’re wearing a heavy shirt, you’ll sink.”

“I don’t… want to,” Keith evaded Lance’s grabs. He was  _ not _ taking his shirt off.

His husband finally caught him and threw the shirt to the sand, “You used up all of your savings money for surgery and you don’t want to take off your shirt?”

“I feel exposed!”

“But you’re buff and you have muscles! C’mon, show it off for once.”

“Fine. I guess I’ll keep my shirt off.”

“No dude, flex for me!”

Keith took a deep breath and flexed, “Is this what you want?”

“Oh! Yeah!” Lance started clapping, “We’re getting old, but I still find you hot.”

“Gross!” Keith splashed water on him, “You’re always horny!”

“No!” Lance screamed.

The girls were watching from their picnic table with their Abuela, they shook their heads. Their parents were fucking dorks. They knew of their parents’ hardships and how much they suffered, so it was nice to see them happy for once, even if they were getting a little older now. They wouldn’t have it any other way, though.

To them, it was truly perfectly perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the main story is finally over and im proud to say I finished a fic!!! 
> 
> im gonna write a small drabble for Valentine's day. it'll be late. it's fine tho. 
> 
> if you have any questions about the fic like if i didn't answer a question u had or something, pls ask!!!
> 
> SHARE THIS FIC PLEASE. IT'S BAD, IK, BUT I WORKED SO HARD!!!!!
> 
> please tell me what i should write next! just bc im busy doesn't mean that i don't wanna write! I was thinking Heith or something else klance related- i had an alternative story to this fic in which lance is the bridge to keith and hunk's relationship, but it's a little extra.


	18. Bonus: Valentine's Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's just Comfort and Fluff™
> 
> this takes place postpartum and before the end of main story

Keith was in bed, feeding the twins again. He still wasn't used to the feeling or concept, but that's fine. They were getting fed and it wasn't formula. He had to use formula with Keiko was it was a pain trying to heat up water, measure the powder and then try to feed it. She didn't like it at all, but the twins were happy.

After feeding both, he opened a bottle of water he had next to him and drank it. Feeding made him dehydrated, but so be it. He burped each one, but smartly enough he had a towel on his shoulder. He slowly got up, held both of the growing boys and set them down in their respective crib. It was tiring, but now they'd finally sleep. He was pleased about that.

He took the one of the baby monitors with him as he went to the kitchen. Lance was currently making dinner and it smelled so good. He was practically drooling, he was so hungry.

Lance smiled, “You're back! Are they asleep?”

“Yeah, they are. Keeping them full helps. Though, keeping _me_ full is a good idea, too,” He chuckled, walking up closer to Lance to see what he was making, “Oh, it's pesto!”

“You bet. I was wanting to make something a little different. It tastes good, and it's pasta. That also means a another thing, garlic knots.”

“You made some??”

“Yup, they're in the oven warming back up.”

“Hmm, I wonder why you're doing all of this…” Keith was being sarcastic, his voice a little playful.

Lance turned to him, “It's our first Valentine's day married and I wanna make it a little special. You love pasta and it's romantic. I'll get the girls to come down, so serve yourself.”

He left in a hurry and Keith did as told. He grabbed some pasta and took the garlic knots out of the oven. They smelled so delicious and scrumptious.

Keith never thought that he'd be excited for food, but feeding made him so hungry. The older they were going to get, the more they would feed. He had two little buggers, so it was a lot to keep up with. Lance's mother left about a week ago, so it was all up to them.

The girls came down and hugged Keith tightly, they hadn't seen him all day. School was a pain and therefore they missed their daddy. As everyone sat down to eat, the girls were talking about all the Valentine's day cards they got. Keiko got temporary tattoos and Cecilia got some kind of hot wheels car. Lance was very happy to hear all of this, their girls had a good day. He remembered all the days in which he was rejected. Valentine's was a little heartbreaking, but now he had Keith and all of his kids.

“You know, when I was a kid, I gave some chocolate to this girl and she just threw it back at me. It hurt my feelings a lot, but the more I think about it, she wasn’t the one for me. I’ve had so many incidents like that, it’s not even funny. I went crying back to my mom a lot while growing up. My other brothers and sisters had partners, but they were older and they had experience I didn’t have. I want you girls to know that it’s okay for things like this to happen. Don’t ever feel bad that you don’t have someone. You don’t need someone to make you happy. You have yourself _and_ your family. We’re all you’ll ever need,” Lance didn’t want his girls to be heartbroken, he wanted them to be strong and resilient. He wasn’t and not being patient led to a lot of bad things.

Keith chuckled, “I’ve never had a Valentine before. At all the foster homes I was at and the orphanages, they usually didn’t have the money to get us anything. I don’t blame them, no one ever remembers those kids. When I grew up and started to date others, we usually broke up before Valentine’s. That’s perfectly okay. Spending time alone is better than spending time with someone you don’t like. Remember, you have to put your happiness above trying to impress others. It’s almost not worth it if you do.”

“You two try to impress each other all the time, why bother if it isn’t for you?” Keiko looked confused, it was contradicting.

Lance smiled, “If making them happy makes us happy, then it’s for us. Seeing him smile is the best thing in the world to me, of course that’d make me happy. It’s for me.”

Cecilia giggled, “Are we part of that?”

“Definitely. All of our kids are part of that. We knew it’d make the other happy, so we went with it. We adore all of you so much. The best gift we’ve ever received happens to be all of you,” Keith grew so soft for them, it was almost part of his DNA at this point, “A lot of the things we do for you guys is to make you happy. Seeing you guys happy makes us happy. We love you so much that we can’t help it.”

“We love you, too!” The girls said in unison, their smiles were bright.

-

After dinner, Keith and Lance surprised them each with a small box of chocolates. They were ecstatic over the pretty box and the shells of chocolate. They almost couldn’t believe it; they were never given this much chocolate before. As the girls consumed their chocolate, the couple decided to bring out small gift to each other.

Lance had it hidden to the side of the fireplace and pulled it out. It was the beginning of a lovely rose bush, all a pinkish white. He pushed the potted plant towards his husband, “What do you think? I didn’t want a bouquet of roses to indicate my love for ya. They’ll, like, die. These won’t, they’ll only grow and flourish. This variety is called Mother of Pearl and it a shrub rose. It doesn’t die very easily and it lasts through winter harshness well.”

“It’s… beautiful. So elegant, too. I love roses so much. You know, Texas has a lot of roses. I miss it sometimes, but this is so lovely. I can’t want to plant it. This is so thoughtful of you. Thank you,” Keith went in to give Lance a quick, gentle hug; he was still hurting.

Lance hugged him back and soon kissed him on the cheek, “What did ya get me?”

“Since you’ve been on the water and traveling more often, I’ve made a little something for you. Spending all those days in bed made me more handsy,” He chuckled, pulled out a hefty bag from behind a couch pillow, “I hope you like it.”

It was a pair of swimming trunks and a carry-on luggage bag. “I worked really hard and I made them almost perfectly. I also added a little embroidered heart to each item, now you know a little piece of my heart is with you always.”

Lance was in awe, “You made these?? It’s the perfect fabric for both. How did you do this in bed?”

“I had a table next to the bed. Your mom helped a bit with buying a few things for me, but I had a lot of fun making them. The trunks were a little more fun to make, though,” Keith beamed, “I hope you like them.”

“Of course I do!” Lance picked up the trunks,” These are beautifully made. Such a nice blue, too. Maybe we might match one day.”

“Maybe.”

-

They were back in bed and Lance was trying to hold Keith around his waist, but it just hurt. It made both of them uncomfortable. The twins weren’t born that long ago and it felt so current. Keith being able to walk was an achievement alone. Lance didn’t want any kind of sexual intimacy with Keith because he didn’t want Keith feeling bad. His body was healing, there is no point of feeling bad over something beautiful his body has done.

Keith wanted sexual intimacy, but there was no way that was going to happen. He had stopped bleeding and was a little spotty sometimes, but that didn’t mean anything. It takes months for the body to recover from giving birth to two large babies.

He didn’t care for the way his body looked due to the babies, but the femininity still got to him. His chest was much large due to feeding, but feeding was his choice and he didn’t regret it. He gained weight due to having the babies, but that’s fine, he needs it to feed them in the first place. He didn't understand bouncing back very well; it made no sense to him. What was he trying to bounce back to? Not having kids? He loved them so much that he didn’t even think of his body afterwards. He ate healthy and was more active than during his pregnancy. That’s all that matters.

“You’re soft and warm,” Lance wrapped a blanket around Keith and gently hugged him again, “I’m so happy you’re mine.”

“Am I really?”

“Yes, you are. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course,” He smiled and kissed up the side of Keith’s face, “I love you so much and there’s nothing you can do to stop me from loving you.”

“If I fart will that change your mind?”

“Keiiiiith,” He groaned, “C’mon, don’t you dare.”

“I won’t, but I wanted to test your limits,” A sly grin plastered itself onto his face.

He laughed, but soon grew a little quiet, “I wanna make love to you.”

“I will combust if you do anything down there.”

“I just wanna, I don’t know, spoon you? Are you still too sore for that?”

“A little, but I’ll be fine. Just don’t do anything down there.”

Lance wrapped his arms around Keith, holding him close, “This reminds me of when we danced for our wedding. I felt your heartbeat through your hands. You were nervous, but so excited to spend that time with me. I thank you for bothering to dance with me.”

“I wanted to do it. I wish we took dance classes, though. I felt like I embarrassed you.”

“No, Keith. Everyone loved you!. They knew that you didn’t know how to dance. They loved that you tried your hardest.”

“I still wish I would’ve done better. I feel like I would’ve done so many things better. I should’ve said no to alcohol. I should’ve gone to university. I want my children to look up to me, not to use me as an example of what not to do.”

“Keith, listen. We all make mistakes-”

He interrupted his husband, “I made terrible big ones.”

“You shouldn’t define your life on your mistakes, but your accomplishments.”

“I gave birth to a bunch of kids. Wow. I’m a parent,” Keith pouted, “Everything good I’ve done has to do being a parent. I’m more than just a parent, though. I haven’t done anything else that I’m proud of, though.”

“You’re good at helping people to become the best that they are. How about you become a personal trainer?”

“Really? Me?”

“Yeah! You helped me to become the best version of me. I couldn't have done without you.”

“I mean, I guess. I'll look into it after I finish healing. I don't wanna strain myself and then something bad happens.”

“That's a good idea. You'll be all buff again soon. I wish I was buff, too. I'm just getting soft.”

“But you're healthy and that's all that matters. I'm _very_ soft, but I need to be in order to feed them. You shouldn't let it bring you down.”

“Then you shouldn't either. I know you don't like the way you look. I see you sometimes, looking into the mirror, unhappy.”

“No amount of exercise will remove the skin. It's so much; I had two big babies in here. The stretch marks I don't care for  Everyone has them. I have everywhere and you think I'm the hottest person in the world.”

“You definitely are. The skin doesn't bother me, it's proof that you had our children and we cared for them so much that they grew big with our love. I have stretch marks along my shoulders, arms, and some from when you helped me gain weight. I had been so skinny for so long that skin couldn't take the goodness. You shouldn't grimace in the mirror. You're beautiful. So beautiful that I wish you were healed by now.”

“I don't know what to say. You’re attracted to me no matter what and it almost bugs me. Just… _how_ can you love a person's physical faults for so long?”

“Because it belongs to them, my partner. I love them so much that it doesn't occur to me that they aren't attractive. I will _always_ think that they're attractive.”

Lance went under the covers and exposed Keith's soft belly. He placed kisses all over, “You're perfect just the way you are, but if you want real change, you can definitely get it. I won't ever think any less or you.”

“What did I do to deserve you?” Keith picked him up closer for a hug, kissing him softly, “I'll always love you. No matter what.”

Lance was about to get as handsy as he could get, but the girls walked in. They went under the covers at the edge of the bed and climbed their way to the top. Cecilia kissed both of her parents and Keiko did the same. They wanted to be with them since they usually had been busy.

They all watched television in silence before Luca was antsy. Angry babbles came out of his mouth; it wasn't a cry or anything, but he wanted something. Keith got up and rocked him. Luca was doing okay and then suddenly, his spit up got all over Keith's shirt. He groaned, getting a towel to clean up Luca. After he calmed down from that, he went back into the crib. After a few minutes, he went back to sleep.

Keith went to the drawer and picked out a clean shirt. All of his “maternity” shirts were dirty, so he had to pick out one he had before the babies. All those shirts were small at this point, so he picked whatever. He changed with his back facing his family; despite his talk with Lance he felt ashamed for still looking out-of-shape.

He got back into bed and sighed, how were the girls not ashamed? He was an example of what not to do in life _and_ he was an example of what not to look like. He loved his daughters and he wanted them to be proud of him, but how could they? He had nothing good to offer them.

Keiko was leaning on Lance, seemingly satisfied. Cecilia was laying against all of Keith's squishy parts in a side hug. Her version of a cuddle made his heart swell, he came to the realization that little kids don't care. They point out bluntly what they see, but that doesn't mean that they don't like it. He smiled, brushing the hair out of her face.

Acceptance and decency was what he taught his kids and they practiced it. Keiko was a little more rude about it, but she had her heart in the right place. She was bothering to hug Lance in the first place. Lance was still having hard communication with her, but they were working on it. They love each other, so it only makes sense to.

Love is important, it makes the world go round and round. Without it, there wouldn't be this family. They wouldn't change anything about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is finally the end of this story!!!!
> 
> I really hope you enjoyed the story!!!  
> PLEASE SHARE!!! i get that the story is weird, but i worked s O hard
> 
> you can contact me on  
> Twitter | isamu_kurogane  
> Instagram | jelly.void  
> Tumblr | void-jelly


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